Today, Transpower accelerated $50 million of work on the national grid, thus much required work on high-voltage power pylons will now be maintained from April on, which otherwise could have been waiting up to 10 years. 

Auckland has equaled the highest temperature recorded in the city.

ONE News weather expert Jim Hickey informed that on Thursday the mercury hit 32.4 degrees in West Auckland at around 4pm, which is equal to its highest recorded temperature of all time.

Hickey further informed that last time Auckland was that hot was 127 years ago in 1872.

Hickey explained that the excessive heat in the Auckland area comes as heavy rain is falling across the central North Island and top of the South Island, increasing river levels.

A warning has been extended to drivers in the lower North Island by the police to take care in wet conditions tonight while a keen watch is being kept by the local authorities for flooding.

Caution has been advised on State Highway 2, the Rimutaka Hill road, due to high winds and surface flooding, by police in the Wellington region. Problems have increased on the Hutt Road at Kaiwharawhara, near Wellington due to more surface flooding.

A slip partially blocked State Highway 1, north of Wellington earlier today.

Since the Supreme Court is ruling in favor of new operator Labtests over Diagnostic Medlab, it seems that the bad blood over Auckland laboratory testing operation could be a thing of the past.

Though the battle between the two companies has come to an end, there are no celebrations as yet.

Harbour Health's Susan Turner reports, "Overall what it means is a complete reduction in services in the workforce and in the collection centres."

The police association is hopeful that under a proposed law change, which would allow police to take DNA samples from suspects, would enable them to catch more criminals.

As of now, the samples from DNA can only be gathered when a person is convicted, or the high court has approved it.

According to the Police, at most crime scenes, a DNA sample is left behind and thus the latest law would make it easy for them to trap more serious criminals.

Reacting on the Government's decision to raise the minimum wages, McDonald's, the fast food company, may increase the prices and review its plans of opening 30 more restaurants, which were planned to be added to its chain of 143 restaurants, in the next three years.

The company had a plan to spend nearly $100 million on expansion. Last March there was a substantially increase in the wages and McDonald's gave all its youth workers the adult rates.