It'll be as if nothing's missed a beat for many top shearers and woolhandlers, judges and officials as the 52nd two-day Southern Shears

Port Hills fire updates: Amazing images show the extent of the damage from the air, and just how close it came to some properties.

New research showing how efforts to keep pests out of countries are failing to keep up with the pace of globalisation means New Zealand must be more vigilant than ever, a biosecurity expert says.

Find out the latest details on the Christchurch wildfires.

It was a New Zealand and South Africa night tonight as the two traditional rugby nations turned their rivalry to the woolshed on

Most of the country can expect another warm, dry holiday weekend, but the West Coast is in for a wet one.

While the eastern region swelters in one of the most rain-deprived Januaries in more than a century, some western areas have been drenched.

What's in store for the rest of the country?

A severe weather warning has been issued for the South Island as heavy rain and strong winds bear down on the country.

Batten down the hatches, another southern storm bears down on the country.

A small Southland town has been completely cut off after this weekend's wild weather.

But the good news is that the bad weather should clear by Sunday and hopefully we'll be on track for some real summer feels.

Residents in parts of the country have been warned to brace for widespread flooding, slips and fast-rising rivers as the mid-week weather system hits.

How narcissistic are Kiwis?

If variety is the spice of life, this week is set to be a lively one.

Allegations of widespread stock theft across the lower South Island have rocked Otago's farming community, which collectively could

There is a severe weather warning in parts of the South Island today, where heavy rain is expected.

Severe thunderstorms - with marble-sized hail and flooding rainfall - are expected to hit the upper South Island today, MetService warns.

An out-of-town beekeeper who parked up in Westport to eat his lunch yesterday afternoon left a trail of angry bees behind him.

Summer will be well and truly here this week with temperatures expected to soar to 29C in some parts.

Animal control officers were alerted to a "large, rogue goat" that was reported disrupting traffic in Oamaru.

Compared to other fibres, yak wool is more sustainable because yaks aren't farmed specifically for wool.

Longer freight routes between the islands and through the northern South Island have prompted freight company Toll NZ to hike its rates.

A moderate earthquake has rattled the top of the South Island, 25km south east of Seddon.

Sticky, humid weather awaits the country this summer as a weak La Nina brings muggy weather particularly in northern areas.

First there were "quake cows", now a lamb has been plucked to safety in Canterbury.

Emergency supplies have finally landed in a cut-off community just 22km north of Kaikoura.

This could be the perfect postcard of rural New Zealand ... but this rural idyll has become the Ground Zero of Monday's mammoth magnitude-7.8 earthquake.

A 27 truck military convoy battled poor weather and the threat of more landslides to deliver 8860ltrs of fuel and 10,000ltrs of water to Kaikoura today.

Farmers and the fishing industry get $5 million relief package.