GOOD AFTERNOON. WE'RE BRINGING YOU THE LATEST DETAILS ON THE TSUNAMI WATCH IN PLACE FOR NZ. A MAGNITUDE 8 EARTHQUAKE STRUCK IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AT AROUND 2 THIS AFTERNOON. IT WAS POWERFUL AND SHALLOW QUAKE, LESS THAN 6KM DEEP. AROUND 15 MINUTES LATER A TSUNAMI NEARLY 1M HIGH WAS REPORTED TO HAVE HIT THE ISLAND OF LATA, WHICH IS IN THE SOLOMONS GROUP. CIVIL DEFENCE IS WARNING PEOPLE TO AVOID BEACHES AND OTHER LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS, SAYING THERE'S A POTENTIAL RISK OF A TSUNAMI HITTING HERE. A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN PLACE FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS INCLUDING VANUATU, NAURU, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, TUVALU, NEW CALEDONIA, FIJI AND KIRIBATI. An official at Lata Island's hospital told one news the tsunami hit the airport and several villages have been destroyed. From the information that we have got, the village has been destroyed by the tsunami. Three villages close to Lata, but it's more likely other villages will be affected. About seven people are living at one of those villages. Barbara Dreaver joins us now from the newsroom. They are waiting for possibly one casualty, maybe even more, following the destruction of those three villages. TheY've all evacuated from the capital. There's chaotic traffic in Suva as people flee the capital. Big problems in Kiribati and Tuvalu. TheY're going to be joining others on the main island and evacuating to the main stadium, which is the highest point. Matt McClane is in the civil defence emergency base in Wellington. It still is just a tsunami watch for New Zealand. That has not been updated at this stage. A memorandum of understanding has been issued. It's a Marine threat; it's not a threat to land. People should stay off the beaches and those coastal areas across the country. Pass on the message to friends and family who live on those coastal areas. If the wave is to hit today, is expected to be .2 to 1 m high we are expecting to hear shortly from the director of civil defence. We'll keep you updated. It is just a watch at this point.