Sunday brunch has been a shaky affair for those in the East Cape who've been rocked by a "severe" 5.8 magnitude quake this morning.

Full preliminary results for 2016 local body elections for the North Island.

Full preliminary results for 2016 local body elections for the North Island.

Police believe one of the three dead at a property south of Kawhia is wanted man Ross Bremner. The other two were an elderly couple not related to him.

A neighbour said the pair that were found dead "were a bubbly family. They were a sporting family, good at tennis."

Wet weather has forced home gardeners to delay planting of summer fruit and vegetables.

A thunderstorm warning remains in place as violent electrical storms pounded Auckland overnight leaving many without power for hours.

A decision by the contactor to accelerate the project means the $13 million makeover of the Makatote rail viaduct will be finished

A decision by the Employment Court that Affco NZ unlawfully locked out seasonal meatworkers has been upheld by the Court of Appeal. The

A Whangarei supermarket is giving out free coffee to shoppers who bring reusable bags for their groceries.

A growing number of ducks, swans and geese are succumbing to a dining anomaly usually confined to humans seeking an easy snack - junk food.

A Northland man is taking claims that he has consistently been overcharged at Pak 'n Save to the Commerce Commission.

A Huntly resident whose house was hit by a landslide still doesn't know when he can return after the region was hit by a "once in

A council worker and volunteer firefighter who planted fake bombs around Hamilton has been sentenced to two and a half years' jail.

There's a big hole in Lance Carter's life. A hole that was previously filled by Leigh Rhodes, the love of his life.

Thunder storms and torrential rain are dousing the upper North Island as the tail-end of a storm makes its presence felt on this side of Tasman.

Police are investigating after a young man was found dead in his family's house in Hunua today.

Severe weather warnings issued for the upper North Island as the tail-end of a storm which battered Australia this week gets set to unleash its remaining wrath.

This will be a good weekend to check out the museum or cuddle up with a book as heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the country.

Police have charged a 13-year-old and a 14-year-old in relation to an incident at a dairy in Tauranga today.

A timber house on Raurimu Rd in the Central North Island settlement has burned to the ground.

Heavy downpours and thunderstorms are possible today in already saturated areas of the North Island.

A man is in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital's ICU after a stabbing last night.

If there was any doubt Mt Maunganui is a surfer's paradise, one only had to check out the gnarly clouds hanging above it yesterday.

WATCH: Dashcam footage shows a Coromandel road turn into a river after rain lashed much of the country over the weekend closing roads.

Firefighters have been unable to get through a flooded ford to reach cars stranded in Kauaeranga Valley, Thames, leaving the matter in police hands.

Watch: The caterpillar, the robot and the running man ... this police officer from Taupo has all the moves.

A Northland businessman has been charged with drink driving and fleeing the crash that killed his wife, daughter and a family friend.

A Hastings election that otherwise might have been fought over dull big-picture issues has been blindsided by another big topic: water quality.

Homelessness, unemployment and infrastructure are key challenges facing one of the North Island's tourist hot spots, Rotorua.