Labour leader Jacinda Ardern cancelled her planned visit to Canterbury's Selwyn River on Thursday because it was "flooding" - but problem was, it wasn't flooding at all.

She intended to use Coe's Ford to highlight the party's pledge to clean up rivers. This part of the Selwyn River is often used as an example of how farm runoff is affecting the health of waterways.

Ms Ardern's office pulled the plug on the visit, with a message to media saying: "With regret we have had to cancel the Coe's Ford media event with Jacinda Ardern, due to flooding".

However when Newshub arrived, the river wasn't flooded or flooding at all.