Tropical Cyclone Bune is making its way down to New Zealand and is expected to pass to the east of the country from Wednesday.

A tropical cyclone formed near Fiji today is on track to bring strong winds and heavy rain to New Zealand next week, forecasters predict.

People in northern and eastern areas of the North Island are being advised to take precautions as heavy rains threaten to sweep across those regions tonight and tomorrow, with a possibility of flooding in coastal and low-lying areas.

Heavy rain is on the way today for much of the North Island, with as much 200mm for some areas today and tomorrow, MetService forecasts.

Two earthquakes have rocked the East Coast area this afternoon but there have been no reports of damage.

Herald Maori affairs reporter Yvonne Tahana on the at times frustrating job of covering national kapa haka festival Te Matatini o te Ra.

Greedy "sharks" are already circling Te Runanga o Ngati Porou as it gears up to grow its $110m treaty settlement. The tribe's chairman has already received letters from outsiders promising all sorts of riches for the iwi if it would let

Two big iwi leaders met with Prime Minister John Key to discuss state assets sales today at the national Te Matatini kapa haka competition.

It used to be deeply naff, drunk only by teens and maybe your nana; so how did cider get its fizz back to be the drink of the summer, asks Nicky Pellegrino.

A 10-month old boy is in hospital after being attacked by a dog at a Gisborne house yesterday afternoon.

Getting experimental in our vineyards is a risky business, but one that has paid off in the past for our winemakers.

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake, centred 30 kilometres south of Gisborne, struck just after 10pm last night.

Gisborne and Northern Hawke's Bay were rocked by a series of earthquakes on Monday between magnitude 4.2 and 3.3 at a relatively shallow depth, but no damage has been reported.