More than 100 homes have been evacuated near Christchurch as firefighters battle an uncontained bushfire.
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A state of emergency has been declared after a fire took hold in Port Hills, a suburb in the southern foothills of South Island's biggest city.
The fire has burned about 650sqkm after beginning on Valentines Day, threatening homes.
Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) have dispatched 23 trucks, 15 helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft fighting the blaze, with monsoon buckets and retardant drops by air.
Among the properties evacuated in the Christchurch and Selwyn council areas is Princess Margaret Hospital.
Authorities are yet to establish a cause of the fire, which comes after summer Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger called "extremely dry".
Victoria University of Wellington senior lecturer Nicola Day said she was unsurprised by the fire.
"FENZ has been warning us all summer about tinder dry conditions that will fuel fires and the winds today have really helped the spread," she said.
Port Hills was also the site of one of New Zealand's worst bushfires in recent decades: a 2017 blaze which began on February 13, contributing to the death of a helicopter pilot who was helping fight the fires.
Australian Associated Press
