Canadian police and a Christchurch family have made a fresh appeal for information about an 11-year-old boy who has gone missing in British Columbia.

A post-mortem has confirmed a young man who died after suffering what he thought was an allergic reaction at a mental health respite facility had eaten a meal containing trace amounts of peanut.

A man charged with murdering a woman in Christchurch earlier this year will keep his name secret for now.

Emergency operations centres have been activated on the West Coast as heavy rain brings highway closures, slips and surface flooding.

The sister of a woman who went missing in Auckland over a month ago has headed from Dunedin to the northern city, appealing to locals for help in the search.

A teacher accused of sexually abusing a boy claims it was he who had made sexual advances on her and she had shut it down.

The review prompted by the scandal surrounding ex-Beehive press secretary Michael Forbes has found that the police should have alerted the government earlier under the "no surprises" convention.

A police investigation has been launched after a body was found near Scarborough on Thursday. However, police say it is not believed to be missing Christchurch teenager Marley.