The Government is being urged to fund an around-the-clock monitoring and warning system for earthquakes and tsunamis in New Zealand.

The change means aftershocks may be larger in magnitude for a longer period of time.

New aerial photos show there is much work to be done after Monday's 7.8 quake.

Acting Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says the cost of the earthquakes was still to emerge, but it would be in the billions of dollars.

The Clarence River has burst its banks, with residents being told to move to high ground immediately, as aftershocks continue to rock the country.

There are casualties following this morning's quakes, acting Civil Defence minister Gerry Brownlee says.

A French memorial will be added to the War Memorial Park in Wellington after a winning design was chosen from 43 entries.

New Zealand troops have approval to work at three bases but could be sent to other bases says Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee.

A peacekeeping deployment to Sinai has been renewed until 2018 despite earlier concerns about terrorist attacks.

The Government is to buy a $493 million naval tanker which will be custom-made for use in the Antarctic.

Prime Minister John Key has done so many u-turns this week he is in danger of coming to the attention of his boyracer-car-crushing minister Judith Collins.

US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter has thanked the New Zealand Government for agreeing to extend its deployment to Iraq

COMMENT: For those who travelled to Taji with PM, his decision to extend the deployment of 120 troops to train Iraqi forces had a sense of inevitability.

Labour leader Andrew Little says he will withdraw New Zealand troops from Iraq if his party is elected to power next year.

The non-combat deployment in the battle against the Islamic State had been set to finish early next year, but would now last until November 2018.

Prime Minister John Key says he remains confident New Zealand troops based at Taji are as safe as they can be despite a car bomb outside the military compound yesterday.

An explosion has occurred within two to three kilometres of Camp Taji in northern Baghdad where 106 NZ Defence Force personnel are currently deployed.

Defence bosses have barely scraped a pass mark from their minister Gerry Brownlee because of their poor-quality, slow advice.

The Defence Force chose a rifle made by US manufacturer Lewis Machine and Tools (LMT) out of eight possible contenders.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee has launched a high-level review of New Zealand troops' role in the fight against Isis.

New Zealand's top military science secrets are attracting million-dollar investments from allied defence forces.

16 years after her last visit, former spokesperson for the Auckland East Timor Independence Committee Marie Leadbeater finds it a study in contrasts.

The government is taxing the salaries of Kiwi troops deployed to Taji to help train Iraqi soldiers.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior off Marsden Wharf. We take a look back.

The United State's top Pacific military commander is in New Zealand on his first visit in the role and will hold talks with the Prime Minister and Chief of Defence Force.

New Zealand Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee was unaware the Singapore hotel he was inside for an Asia-Pacific security summit was put in lockdown.

The Defence Force says New Zealand soldiers have settled into their base in Taji, Iraq, and have started training local troops to fight the so-called Islamic State.

Europe's most expensive defence program, the A400M has one advantage keeping it going: it's too big to fail.