Weather: Canterbury swelters in record temperatures
Searing hot, record-breaking temperatures have been registered in parts of Canterbury today. MetService says Ashburton airport reached 37.5C, which is the highest temperature there since records began. Just down the road, Timaru airport has broken its January maximum temperature - also cracking 37.5C. Fire and Emergency has suspended all fire permits in Canterbury and the upper South Island with immediate effect as the region swelters and fire crews are on high alert. Our reporter Sally Murphy and cameraman Nate McKinnon went out to see how people were faring in the heat.