The impacts of the global financial crisis hit are ingrained in our communities.

Just over a fifth of all working-age Northlanders were on welfare benefits at the end of March.

The man in charge of New Zealand harness racing believes the financial bloodletting in the industry could be over.

The Earthquake Commission (EQC) is classifying a large aftershock which rattled Canterbury this morning - the sixth biggest to strike the area since September - as a new event for insurance purposes.

A large aftershock which rattled Canterbury this morning caused stock to fall from shelves and forced some shops to close, but did not cause any significant damage.

A post-mortem examination on a 28-year-old woman found dead in Timaru yesterday will be completed some time this morning, police say.

A previously undiscovered fault capable of generating a magnitude-7 earthquake has been found by scientists investigating bedrock off Christchurch.

Chinese national Jinyan Leng, 30, also known by the name Vicky, was studying English at King's Education in the CTV building and had been in New Zealand since August 2010.

There's anger this morning at photos showing council workers tending to a garden in Christchurch's red zone.

'Girth-quake' is the new catch-word in Christchurch to describe a growing issue of burgeoning waist-lines.