A second tornado has swept through Amberley in north Christchurch, damaging homes, felling trees and bringing down power lines.

More than 1,000 homes in Canterbury have lost electricity in today's storm, according to power company Orion.

More from stuff.co.nz

and from the NZ Herald

Fierce winds lash South Island.
Severe weather and a reported mini-tornado has caused extensive damage to property in North Canterbury tonight.

Fire service shift manager Andrew Norris said a "cluster of houses" in Amberley, 50km north of Christchurch, had been badly damaged at about 6.30pm.

There were reports that the damage was as the result of a tornado, but that had not been confirmed, he said.
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