A violent hail and thunder storm has caused two car crashes and left the ground "white like snow" in Wellington. Police have said the storm after 1:30pm had been the catalyst for two crashes...

The fabulously clear sky of the Mackenzie Country is a national asset, writes Sheriden Rhodes.

English rugby tourist Mitch Freeley takes a quick vox-pop in Dunedin, and finds less than total confidence in the ABs' chances.

Rugby tourist Mitch Freeley visits two NZ rugby strongholds: quake-hit Christchurch and vibrant Dunedin.

Rapper Scribe makes moving tribute to the resilience of Cantabrians who have lived through more than 8500 quakes in the past year.

No one knows how much the Christchurch earthquake will eventually cost, but the government's balance sheet is still in a strong position to pay its part of the possibly $25b bill, says PM John Key.

NZ's total of building trades workers needs to double to 155,400 over the next five years, say training groups.