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.

COMMENT: How many readers of the Herald knew that Labour, New Zealand's oldest political party, achieved its centenary in 2016? Not many I imagine.

Warning: Disturbing content. It's a pretty house with a pretty name. But the recently sold Wisteria Cottage was a chosen killing ground.

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.

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.

Paddle: 131216RK01BOP A paddle gifted by the renowned Maori chief Hori Ngatai to a young English army lieutenant 150 years ago is

COMMENT: This month marks 100th anniversary of first sedition convictions after the passage of Military Service Act 1916, which brought in conscription.

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.

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.

Three Treaty of Waitangi settlements worth $225m are being passed into law today.

A British diver says he has found Hitler's $100 million stash of gold and precious objects at the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

Thousands of children go missing every year. Some never make it home again.

COMMENT: The event is worth being reminded of because this sorry chapter shows this country is indeed a blip on the radar screen by the French.

A website founded by releasing hundreds of FBI investigative documents related to the only unsolved hijacking of a commercial airliner in the US.