A cousin of Winston Churchill has died, leaving the son he once described as a "black sheep" to inherit one of Britain's most prestigious aristocratic titles.

A New Zealand woman accused of destroying a Buddha statue in Cambodia says she did it because it “didn’t belong in the temple”.

A New Zealand woman was reportedly taken into custody in Cambodia at the weekend for destroying a statue of Buddha at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex.

Top Gear stars continued to use a car number plate for 10 days after being warned that furious Argentinians believed it was an offensive reference to the Falklands War.

A box containing an old train set - and what was believed to be a corroded mortar bomb - triggered a major police callout in central Dunedin.

Abandoned earthquake-damaged homes in Christchurch's residential red zone are being booby-trapped in a mystery that has so far baffled police.

In the 1950s a Wellington student, later to become an accounting profession stalwart, paid his way through university via newspaper advertisements, writes Bob Jones.

An archaeologically significant early Maori site dating back hundreds of years was disturbed by builders excavating a quake-damaged site, a court heard today.

The death of the founder of the band Snapper has prompted an outpouring on social media, and plaudits from local music industry figures.

Archaeologists in Denmark have found a ring-shaped Viking fortress on the island of Zealand, around 50km south of Copenhagen.

Weighing more than seven Tyrannosaurus rex, or a modern Boeing 737, and longer than a swimming pool, a newly discovered species of dinosaur would have "feared nothing" scientists say.

The last word Richard John Seddon uttered as he collapsed from a massive heart attack was "Mother!"

A century ago today, Kiwi soldiers arrived in German Samoa ready for battle. The Herald is live-streaming the national ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary.

Maori Party founder Tariana Turia and former Governor-General and National Party Prime Minister Sir Keith Holyoake feature prominently as political heroes.

The years have washed away the markings on Paddy Black’s grave at Waikumete Cemetery.

His daily diet included crane and egret, washed down with a bottle of wine. The reign of Richard III only lasted two years.

Film-maker Sir Peter Jackson says the new World War I museum he is curating will focus on New Zealand soldiers and their experiences, right down to the smell of the dirt in their trenches.

Film-maker Sir Peter Jackson has been enlisted by Government to curate a temporary World War I exhibition in Wellington.

The ancient Egyptian practice of mummification may be 1500 years older than previously thought, an Australian-led study says.

Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a vast tomb that they believe is connected with the reign of the warrior-king Alexander the Great.

A treasure trove of the remains of hundreds of mammals from the Ice Age has been discovered in a cave in Wyoming.

The first All Black to die in World War I was Albert "Doolan" Downing, a rangy forward who sported a Ranfurly Shield tattoo on his left arm.

The leader of a right-wing UK party was facing a storm of protest last night after one of his members of parliament was revealed to have coached candidates to emulate Hitler.

One hundred gun shots echoed over Wellington today, marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI.

The neglected burial site of Sapper Robert Hislop, mourned a century ago as NZ's first casualty of World War I, is expected to become an official war grave.