The mayor of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, has extended the region’s state of emergency declared on 27 January, with further extreme rainfall expected. The country has been hit by a catastrophically wet January, with particularly intense flooding around the city.
Tropical cyclone Gabrielle, currently out in the Coral Sea off the north-east coast of Australia, is heading straight towards the North Island of New Zealand over the coming days. Gabrielle is tracking south-eastwards with winds gusting to 127mph, making it a category 3 cyclone.