The owner of a Christchurch home where a man posing as a delivery driver forced his way inside today and tied up a husband and wife for three hours has been "targeted" before, a source says.

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.

A 24-year-old man has been charged with the burglary of a Christchurch home during the tsunami evacuation early on November 14.

A man who tied up three people in Christchurch is still on the run.

A Christchurch brothel owner stands to lose $2m after a judge ruled in favour of police.

Geonet say there is a 98 per cent chance of an aftershock of 6 to 6.9 magnitude in the next year.

Police are seeking two young men after the aggravated robbery of a bus driver in Christchurch.

If variety is the spice of life, this week is set to be a lively one.

All Blacks great Richie McCaw and fiancee Gemma Flynn have splashed out on a spectacular $2.5m family home.

A jealous truck driver who hit his neighbour and occasional lover with a garden gnome and bashed her to death with a metal bar has failed to get off his conviction.

Hundreds of people have lodged injury claims following last month's massive magnitude-7.8 earthquake.

A Christchurch doctor facing "serious" sexual assault charges can now be named.

School leavers remarkably unaffected by earthquakes, surprising research finds.

A former Canterbury primary school principal who groomed a young boy before sexually assaulting him over half a decade was today jailed for more than nine years.

An immediate focus was being put on upgrading State Highway 63 near St Arnaud in the weeks leading up to the very busy Christmas-New Year travel period.

A high-profile murderer suffered life threatening injuries after he was stabbed with glass and wood at Auckland Prison.

A truck has rolled, blocking one lane of State Highway 7 - the temporary main road between Picton and Christchurch.

The latest predictions indicate the rain may stay away on the festive holiday.

After Jake Millar's dad died in the Fox Glacier plane crash, the 15-year-old wrote to Prime Minister John Key asking for his advice.

A Christchurch man has gone missing for a week, sparking fears for his safety.

A young Christchurch builder allegedly sacked via text didn't tell his family and for a week pretended to go to work every morning.

Repairs to South Island stopbanks damaged in the Kaikōura earthquake is expected to cost nearly $700,000.

A Christchurch man who committed a series of sexual offences, including rapes, at ''raves'' in several parts of the South Island has had his sentence reduced.

A Greymouth man wanted by police for breach of bail lost control of his vehicle at Taylorville late last night while trying to evade police.

A new report has found it would cost more than $250million to repair Christchurch's earthquake-battered Lancaster Park.

Parts of the North Island are expected to hit 30 degrees today, with Hawke's Bay getting the biggest dose of the sun's rays.

Police suspect arson after six car fires in Christchurch overnight.

A group of TPP protesters and vocal opponents of outgoing PM John Key are holding a celebratory leaving party in Christchurch tonight.

A Christchurch nursing assistant has denied charges of having unprotected sex with three men without disclosing his HIV-positive status.

Canterbury's Highway Patrol is reminding motorists to drive with caution while the Lewis Pass alternate highway (State Highway 7)