Act leader John Banks will not seek re-election in the 2014 general election. Mr Banks has decided after 36 years of public service to spend more time on his family and private interests. The decision comes less than 24 hours after the High Court ordered that Mr Banks must stand trial on allegations of electoral fraud. He will remain as Epsom MP and Act leader until the election.
A Japanese tyre company has come up with a novel way of getting viewers to stand up and pay attention to their adverts - by making them jump out of their skins. If terrifying your target audience was proven to also make them buy your product, the marketing team behind this offering from Autoway Tires would deserve a great deal of credit. courtesy YouTube/AutowayTire
New Zealand's population is now 4.24 million and is getting older and more ethnically diverse, this year's census has shown. Statistics New Zealand this morning released key census information on the country's population, its mix of ages and sexes, and where people choose to live.
Air New Zealand's latest Hobbit themed aircraft touched down in Los Angeles this morning to great anticipation and much fanfare. The 777-300 featuring a 54-metre Smaug the dragon emblazoned across both sides arrived earlier today ahead of the premiere this evening of the second instalment of The Hobbit trilogy - The Desolation of Smaug.
Herald reader Laura Kindley sent us her wonderful video of dolphins at play as they surrounded the family boat during a Sunday outing on the Hauraki Gulf.
The 'Book of New Zealand' tells the story of how New Zealand has inspired the epic landscapes behind Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit Trilogy. Academy Award winning production designer Dan Hennah explains how the gigantic pop-up book was conceived in New Zealand then shipped and installed in Los Angeles.
The 'Book of New Zealand' -- the world's biggest pop-up book installed on-site at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles to celebrate the world premiere of 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' on December 2, it features original sets and effects from 'The Hobbit' Trilogy, representing four of the principal filming locations and the featured New Zealand landscapes.
Two giant eagles, one giving Gandalf the wizard a ride, have been unveiled at Wellington's airport.
The goal of this new delivery system is to get packages into customers' hands in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles. Putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some number of years as they advance technology and wait for the necessary FAA rules and regulations. This is footage from a recent test flight. courtesy YouTube/amazon
Two giant eagles, one giving Gandalf the wizard a ride, have been unveiled at Wellington's airport today. The massive creations, which were made by Weta Workshop, accompany an enormous Gollum in welcoming visitors to the capital. The latest features each weigh a tonne and have a wingspan of 15m. Weta head Sir Richard Taylor said the team took three months to build them.
Jason Birrell was having a run up the Coast with some of the Eastland Ski-NZ team when he decided to take a line through the edge of the marine reserve and spotted a dolphin entangled in a crayfish pot rope which was was tangled around the dolphin’s snout and around his flippers. “He was in trouble — he was having trouble breathing because he could only get a breath now and then.”
Air New Zealand today revealed Peter Jackson’s theatrical interpretation of the mythical Dragon Smaug exclusively to the world, ten days ahead of the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. A Boeing 777-300 aircraft with the 54 metre (177 feet) long Dragon emblazoned on both sides was unveiled in Auckland this morning, making Kiwis the first in the world to see the iconic Dragon in all his glory.
Summer is with us and while the weekend was a little cooler for some this week looks likely to be much warmer with highs at the end of this week potentially reaching 30 degrees. In the north another subtropical low - weaker than last week - looks like it might deliver a few hit and miss downpours for dry parts of the upper North Island - while South Islanders see a calmer, drier week for the most part with Canterbury ending on a hot note this Friday.
As the champagne flowed for the Australian side, the tears flowed for the Kiwis after they were humbled 34-2 in this morning's World Cup final. It brought to an end what had been a promising campaign but highlighted why Australia have been the dominant rugby league nation for some time. Even though the Kiwis won the 2008 World Cup, they could never really have claimed to be the best side around.
New Zealand Herald Cricket writers Andrew Alderson and David Leggat give their expert opinion and analysis on the Black Caps team named to play West Indies in Dunedin for in the first test of the series.
The Red Bull Trolley Grand Prix in New Zealand is an international event in which amateur drivers race homemade trolley vehicles, Grand Prix style! Each hand-made machine is fueled by nothing but sheer courage, the force of gravity, a touch of genius and a little bit of ridiculousness.
A policeman sitting in his car with his family warned a gang member not to do anything stupid moments before being punched in the head. The officer's wife and daughter shouted in panic as former Satan's Slaves gang member Leslie Frederick Tofts, 39, laid into him through the driver's window. The attack happened this month in Upper Hutt.
Once billed as the comet of the century, Comet ISON apparently was no match for the sun. Images from NASA spacecraft showed the comet approaching for a slingshot around the sun, but nothing coming out on the other side. "It does seem like Comet ISON probably hasn't survived this journey," US Navy solar researcher Karl Battams said in a Google+ hangout.
Check out this new video clip from Auckland Transport/YouTube of how the sober driver plans his night out so he gets the girl of his dreams. Featuring a new soundtrack by Vince Harder. Find out more at https://facebook.com/makeithome.
German backpacker Ruthger Fritze demonstrates the art of slacklining on the beach at Mt Maunganui. The sport started as part of the training undertaken by American mountain climbers but now has a big following in Europe and is a favourite amongst backpackers.
When the Kiwis won the World Cup in 2008, it came as a surprise. A lot has changed in five years but New Zealand are still underdogs for Sunday morning's World Cup final against Australia at Old Trafford.
A High Court judge has reserved his decision in the judicial review of Act leader John Banks' committal to trial on a charge of filing a false election return. The court today heard arguments from Banks' lawyer, David Jones, that a District Court judge had made errors of fact in committing Banks to stand trial. But Solicitor-General Michael Heron QC, who has taken over the case from private prosecutor Graham McCready, said any factual errors were matters to be decided at trial, and not by judicial review.
Fire crews battled a fire at the Sanitarium factory, with black smoke seen billowing out of the roof. The fire in Pah Rd, Auckland, was reported shortly before 9am. A fire service spokesman said five fire trucks were already on the scene, with another couple on the way. "Apparently it's quite visible, with black smoke showing from the top on the factory," he said.
The strains of Dave Dobbyn's hit song Welcome Home rang out in an Auckland Air New Zealand hangar as the bodies of four New Zealanders killed in an air crash in France are returned home. The four men died when an Air New Zealand Airbus A320 crashed into the sea near Perpignan on November 28 (2009).
A beached whale in the Faroe Islands explodes after being left to ferment for days.
iHeartRadio NZ's Liam McEwan takes you backstage at the 2013 Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.
Police have warned summer drivers caught over the reduced speed tolerance of 4km/h in December and January to be prepared for the consequences. The reduced speed tolerance, which will be enforced over the two summer months, was announced today by the Government.
The News Team - Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell and David Koechner give lucky fans in attendance at the ANCHORMAN 2 Australian Premiere a special performance of 'Afternoon Delight'. courtesy ParamountNZ/YouTube.
The offshore protest against Anadarko's deep sea oil exploration will come to an end today as Greenpeace takes the battle to court. The group is seeking a halt to drilling in the basin off the Raglan coast, which began this morning aboard the oil exploration vessel Noble Bob Douglas. Video supplied by Greenpeace.
Prime Minister John Key responds to Labour leaders David Cunliffe promise to the electorate that under the right circumstances he would buy back the assets that National has sold.
The All Black final second stars Aaron Cruden and Ryan Crotty talk about scoring the extra time try and kicking the conversion to beat Ireland 24-22 after being down 19-0 in Dublin.
John'JB'Baxter retires from the Sockburn fire station after 47 years, serving through the Canterbury earthquakes in a job that 'killed' your social life but helped the community and also changed the life of a very special cancer survivor.
A day of heartbreak for Ireland. Another night of pain, what ifs and could have beens. Hear from the devastated coach and captain from Ireland and Richie McCaw and Steve Hansen from the All Blacks in the post-match press conference.
Indian women's rugby player Ketaki Khare has journeyed to the Bay of Plenty to stay for three months and learn as much as she can about the game in New Zealand. She hopes to take the knowledge back home with her and grow the game of women's rugby in India.