The two people killed in the Christmas Eve bus crash near Gisborne last night have been named, as the driver of the bus says the brakes failed.

Two people have died after a bus carrying school bands and their chaperons from Tonga went 100m off a bank and crashed south of Gisborne.

Wet weather today will clear throughout the country making way for a mainly fine Christmas weekend.

There was a record downpour in Auckland, a tornado in Taranaki and "quake lights" above Wellington. Oh, and 2016 was likely also New Zealand's hottest year on record.

Final repairs were made this morning to high voltage lines which were brought down when a light plane crashed, killing the two people on board.

Now that Gisborne is out of the unexpected chaos and back to the usual Christmas mayhem, locals are reflecting on how it all started. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Now that Gisborne is out of the unexpected chaos and back to the usual Christmas mayhem, locals are reflecting on how it all started. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

More than 40,000 Gisborne residents have been asked to prepare for eight hours without power again this Sunday.

Tairawhiti Police, Civil Defence and Eastland Network called a press conference today, with some good news. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Power has been fully restored to more than 20,000 homes and businesses in Gisborne tonight, after a 33-hour outage.

Police will continue to have extra patrols on the beat in Tairawhiti tonight following three burglaries in 24 hours. The crimes

Power is expected to be restored before nightfall for Gisborne residents, the electricity company says.

As the bulk of the Gisborne district remains without power after plane crashed into high voltage lines, the residents of the region are mucking in.

The tight-knit family-owned workplace is today grieving for the loss of two valued colleagues and friends.

The father of George Anderson, whose body was removed from rural Hangaroa yesterday afternoon, was also a pilot.

A string of light earthquakes have hit several parts of the country since Seddon was rattled by a 4.7 magnitude quake last night.

The Rocket Lab's first stage booster rocket has passed a trial putting the company closer to the test launch of its Electron vehicle

Investigators will begin combing through the wreckage of a plane crash that killed two people and cut power to 20,000 homes in the Gisborne region.

GNS Science says the probability of a big quake has increased following the Kaikoura earthquake.

Police have reached the site where a light plane has crashed near Gisborne today.

It could be two or more days before the Gisborne area gets power after a light plane crashed into power lines this morning, cutting electricity to the city.

Fewer than half of councils have enough staff trained to respond to marine oil spills.

A tractor has flipped in a crash with a truck on the outskirts of Gisborne this morning.

Govt says a public message about unusual seismic activity under the North Island was not a cause for alarm.

A driver has been airlifted to hospital after a serious truck crash on the East Coast this morning.

Exhibition pays homage to outsider artist Sam Taare.

It may be time to put away the togs - scorching temperatures on Wednesday aren't likely to be repeated today, the MetService says. While

Temperatures in some parts of the country have climbed over 30 degrees before midday.

Now the North Island is on the move as a massive silent quake strikes Hawke's Bay and Gisborne.

Primary responsibility for civil defence emergency management at a local level rests with your local council.