Prime minister John Key praises the actions of New Zealanders after a severe earthquake hit the South Island in the early hours of Monday, claiming two lives. Waves of up to two metres were created by the quake, and people on the east coast of both the South and North islands were told by civil defence and via emergency sirens to leave immediately for high ground. The tsunami threat has since been downgraded

• New Zealand earthquake: two dead as tsunami threat passes – latest updates