Firefighters have been battling through the night to get on top of a fresh scrub fire in north Canterbury which has forced the evacuation of several homes..
Firefighters battling the Port Hills fire are making the most of calm weather conditions this morning as strong winds are expected to pick up this afternoon.
As firefighters work to contain, suppress and extinguish the Port Hills blaze, some residents have been allowed back to survey the properties they evacuated.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are battling a large fire on Christchurch’s Port Hills with 10 helicopters and 15 crews now fighting the spreading.