A senior theatre lecturer says the historical justifications for casting only men in an upcoming Shakespeare production aren't accurate.

Organisers of the Pop-Up Globe have been accused of sexism for using an all-male cast in keeping with Elizabethan times.

Waitangi Day has provided an insight to the character of successive prime ministers ever since Norman Kirk made it a national holiday.

Deluded fans of psychopathic serial killer Charles Manson demand release of their leader as he lies, possibly near death, in a Californian hospital.

A rare undeveloped gem in the Hokianga where Polynesian settlers are first believed to have set foot on New Zealand soil is for sale in the Hokianga.

For better or worse however, many countries and cultures rely more on traditional forms of social control.

Instead of spending his life savings on a house, Stuart Wilson bought a Welsh field, convinced there was a ancient town under the surface.

Every year dozens of protected New Zealand objects leave the country for good. Here's what some of them are.

Helping restore a piece of Kiwi history - Sir Edmund Hillary's original hut at Scott Base in Antarctica - has proven a dream job for a young Auckland architecture student.

US Secretary of State John Kerry says settlement growth in Israel means the prospects for a diplomatic solution are being "narrowed".

For Fat Leonard, conning the U.S. Navy was a big piece of cake.

A family photograph taken before a Christmas Day massacre holds a telling clue of why the slaughter took place.

COMMENT: Tiny little specks of land hundreds of kilometres from New Zealand may hold key secrets about the future of our planet.

Human bones were found on a Northland beach yesterday.

It was Hawke's Bay's only known fatal shark attack, and 120 years on the death of Bright Cooper is still shocking.

A group of AUT academics have joined forces to present the stories behind some of our best-loved but often misunderstood Christmas traditions.

The paddle's original owner, Ngai Te Rangi chief Hori Ngatai (1832-1912) PHOTO/ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY141216sp02bop.JPG Alfred

Kiwi couple donate seven works including pieces by Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Joan Miro at inaugural event.

A letter written by a soldier involved in the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade has shed light on who was to blame for the military defeat.

To John Glenn, the real hero was his wife Annie, conqueror of disability.

A series of cartoons by a legendary Herald cartoonist depicting a distinguished Holyoake-era politician will go under the hammer on Monday.

The royal family of Kiwi boxing are calling on Joseph Parker to end a 126-year drought in tonight's world heavyweight title showdown with Andy Ruiz Jr.

A disfigured jaw and nose on the skull of Robert the Bruce show the telltale signs of leprosy, scientists have discovered.

Monday is Prime Minister John Key's last day in the top job. But it turns out December 12 was also the last day in office for three other NZ prime ministers.

Seventy-five years after Japanese warplanes streaked over the hills here thousands gathered on a placid morning to pay tribute to those who died that day.

Behind his attractive smile lurks a sex monster and sadist with a history of rape and violence towards women and young girls.

The ashes of a brother who survived the Pearl Harbour attack will join his twin who was killed 75 years ago when the USS Arizona was hit.

Suzanne Aubert was an inspirational figure in New Zealand history.

History-making astronaut Buzz Aldrin has always set his sights on the stars.

The sister of the San Bernardino shooter has spent months trying to adopt her niece, but so far is only allowed to see her in six-hour regular visits.