Top stories for 22 September 2023.
A state of emergency has just been announced in Queenstown, 68 people have been evacuated from their properties overnight and access to the business district is restricted.
Southland is also under a state of emergency due to heavy rain, river levels are high, welfare centres have opened and Tuatapere has run out of drinking water.
In other news, the large scrub fire at Pūkaki in the MacKenzie District continues to burn.
