Roads and homes flooded as more rain hits New Zealand

STORY: “With the weather the way that it is, this is our bread-and-butter time of year and local businesses have been hit and they have been hurt," Keogh said.

Four people lost their lives in flash floods and landslides that have hit Auckland since Friday (January 27) amid record downpours. A state of emergency was in place in Auckland and Northland, the country's northernmost region.

Met service said that the heaviest rains have now passed through Auckland. Finance Minister Grant Roberston said the flooding in the country was probably the most significant disaster apart from earthquakes that New Zealand had ever had to deal with, in terms of insurance.