The Latest Breaking News on Insurance claims reveal Qld's storm damage hotspots

In New Zealand, residents want to rebuild their cyclone-ravaged homes — but a hard conversation is on the horizon.

During Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle the poor management of exotic plantations – primarily pine – has again led to extensive damage in Tairāwhiti. Critical public infrastructure destroyed; highly productive agricultural and horticultural land washed away or buried; houses, fences and sheds knocked over; people’s lives and dreams upended; people dead.

Food drops to isolated communities in New Zealand continue, as authorities work to urgently repair hundreds of kilometres of roads damaged by former cyclone Gabrielle.

Australians working in search and rescue roles in New Zealand after Cyclone Gabrielle say their work is uplifting.