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National

Earthquake hits New Zealand as death toll rises to five in wake of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle

Former tropical cyclone Gabrielle has caused landslides and flooding up and down the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. (Supplied: New Zealand Defence Force)

An earthquake has struck near New Zealand's capital Wellington, as the country grapples with widespread landslides and flooding in the wake of former tropical cyclone Gabrielle.

The earthquake hit just hours after authorities announced that five people, including a child, had died in the aftermath of the cyclone, described as the country's "most destructive weather event in decades".

The magnitude-6.1 quake struck near Wellington at 8pm on Wednesday local time, according to New Zealand earthquake monitoring agency GeoNet, however, there were no immediate reports of damage or injury.

Here's a look at the situation facing residents and authorities in different parts of the country.

Former tropical cyclone Gabrielle has destroyed roads between Napier and Wairoa, making it difficult to access a number of communities. (Supplied: New Zealand Defence Force)

What's the latest with the cyclone?

Then-tropical cyclone Gabrielle made landfall in New Zealand on Sunday before making its way down the North Island's east coast, cutting off entire towns, inundating homes and washing away farms, bridges and livestock.

Continued rain and flooding led authorities to declare a national state of emergency on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins declaring the damage caused by Gabrielle something that had "not been experienced [in New Zealand] in a generation".

Local media reported some people were forced to swim from their homes to safety, while others were forced to shelter in place or wait to be rescued from their rooftops.

On Wednesday, Mr Hipkins said everyone stranded on their roof had been rescued, but the cyclone had "taken a toll beyond property and livelihoods to people" as the death toll rose to five including a child.

He said more than 9,000 people had been displaced across the region, with 3,000 now staying in civil defence centres.

Police say 1,442 people are officially unaccounted-for, but 1,111 people have been found, and Mr Hipkins said there was likely to be considerable crossover between the two lists.

However, there are grave concerns for several missing people.

New Zealand Police said they were investigating the death of one person in Gisborne, who was believed to have been caught in flood waters.

What was the impact of the earthquake?

The earthquake's epicentre was 50 kilometres from the town of Paraparaumu at a depth of 48 kilometres, according to GeoNet.

A witness in Wellington said they felt a strong shaking that lasted for several seconds.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injury, and no tsunami warning was issued.

How are authorities responding? 

With no reports of major damage from the earthquake, the focus for authorities remains on those areas impacted by ex-tropical cyclone Gabrielle.

Emergency services remain in urgent response mode in the Hawke's Bay area, on the east coast of the North Island.

Prior to Wednesday evening's earthquake, the New Zealand Defence Force said its priority was to "save New Zealanders from immediate and serious threats to life or limb" in Gabrielle's aftermath.

The New Zealand Defence Force has deployed four planes, seven helicopters, two naval ships and 58 trucks to help rescue and recovery efforts.

With bridges and roads unsafe, the ships will supply water and other essentials to remote communities such as Gisborne, Wairoa and Napier.

Local governments are also scrambling to restore services to impacted communities, beginning with communication channels and transport in and out of flooded towns.

Auckland's mayor announced an additional $20 million per year for storm response activities on Wednesday.

When will the weather improve?

New Zealand's national weather forecaster MetService says Gabrielle is weakening as it moves towards the country's south-east.

It says the severe weather has eased for the most part, but heavy rain will impact parts of central New Zealand until Thursday evening

The rain is also expected return to already affected parts of the country such as Hawke's Bay and Gisborne, with the risk of thunderstorms in the North Island's east on Thursday.

MetService says Gabrielle should no longer be affecting the country from Friday.

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