Chris Hipkins' government has declared a state of emergency - only the third in New Zealand's history.
About a third of the country's population of five million people live in affected areas.
Many people are displaced and some were forced to swim from their homes to safety after rivers burst their banks.
Others have been rescued from rooftops.
About a quarter of a million people are without power. Falling trees have smashed houses, and landslides have carried others away and blocked roads.
The storm's damage has been most extensive in coastal communities on the far north and east coast of the North Island - with areas like Hawke's Bay, Coromandel and Northland among the worst hit.
Communications to one town in the region have been completely cut after a river burst its banks.
Civil defence authorities in Hawke's Bay said they couldn't cope with the scale of the damage. Australia and the UK have pledged to help.
Source: www.bbc.com
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