Opponents say there is no place for oil exploration in New Zealand, but the government is sticking by its deal with oil giant Petrobras.

Nine tourists have been stranded by floodwaters on State Highway 1 north of Oamaru after failing to observe warning signs earlier today.

The director has agreed to become the first patron of Opotiki's De Luxe Theatre, in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

A Gisborne school community is reeling from the tragic loss of a student, after an 11-year-old died in a freak accident on Wednesday night.

Leo Te Kira was riding on a mountain bike trail when he crashed and suffered fatal injuries.

The 2007 'anti-terror raids' reaffirmed old suspicions and helped quicken the enthusiasm for a "Tuhoe Nation", writes historian Paul Moon.

Bar patrons took a drunk man outside because they thought he was about to vomit, not realising he was choking on a pie, the coroner has found.

A pig-hunting teenager who died after rolling his vehicle was not found until two days after his crash, when his father became concerned about his disappearance.