Air New Zealand plane hit by lightning

An Air New Zealand plane was struck by lightning on Saturday, the airline has confirmed.

The plane, flight NZ281, was arriving in Auckland from Singapore when it encountered the lightning strike.

Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said the aircraft required engineering checks on arrival into Auckland.

“As a result, the subsequent services, NZ282 from Auckland to Singapore and NZ281 from Singapore to Auckland, were cancelled,” McGraw said.

“While lightning strikes are relatively rare, our pilots are well-trained in these situations.”

The North Island was subjected to severe weather over the weekend, including thunderstorms, flooding and a tornado that hit Tauranga.

Damage from the tornado was reported in Ōtūmoetai, the central city, Maungatapu and Welcome Bay.

Meanwhile, 25 homes in Stokes Valley and one in Porirua were evacuated on Saturday morning after flooding in the Wellington region.