Five Big Things: Thursday, February 15

Firefighters continue to battle a massive Port Hills blaze, a record number of people leave New Zealand, and a potential explanation for your forgetfulness.

Helicopter footage has shown the scale of the damage done by the massive fire in Christchurch's Port Hills as crews continue to battle the blaze.

Follow 1News' live updates for the latest developments. Over 100 residents who were forced from their homes gathered at a community hall today. Meanwhile, police have warned so-called "disaster tourists" to stay away from the blaze.

It's also deja vu for one couple in the area who only moved back into their house weeks ago, having just rebuilt after it was destroyed by the 2017 fire.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is "gravely concerned" by reports of Israel's planned military operation in Gaza's Rafah.

In a joint statement with Australian and Canadian prime ministers Anthony Albanese and Justin Trudeau, Luxon urged Israel to not launch the offensive.

Two students from Upper Hutt College involved in a brutal attack on a fellow student last week have now been expelled from the school. Police are continuing to investigate.

Net migration remained at high levels last year — but was partly offset by a record number of Kiwi citizens leaving, with many heading across the ditch.

An iwi leader's legal action against several corporates promises to be one of New Zealand's most closely watched private law climate cases, writes academic Vernon Rive.

In a celebration of love not bound by societal norms, award-winning portrait photographer Jessie Casson has captured a range of couples in that most intimate of acts. See more of the portraits in reporter Lucy Anderson's story.

Forgetting in our day-to-day lives may feel annoying or — as we get older — a little frightening. But it is an entirely normal part of memory – enabling us to move on or make space for new information.

So, what level of forgetting things is normal? Alexander Easton explains.