A spectacular fireworks display off Auckland's Sky Tower and parties around the country herald the start of a new year.

There is chaos on the roads with multiple crashes on SH1 in Waipu, south of Whangarei.

After a spate of youth suicides struck the Far North township of Kaitaia earlier this year, an unlikely hero emerged from the tragedy.

Holiday road toll is at 14 after a person was killed in a single-car crash in Northland, as police in Hawke's Bay appeal for witnesses to a hit and run.

One person has died in a water rescue at Doves Bay Marina, near Kerikeri in the Far North.

Missing yachtie likely to be sailing his tiny catamaran to Australia, where he has disappeared with his 6-year-old daughter Que previously, according to an expert.

Paihia residents and visitors are urged to conserve water as a sharp increase in use strains the town's water supply. The summer

A fire that came within a metre of a ute and a few metres of a Kerikeri home was a blaze waiting to happen, the town's fire chief

Lost paint and an embarrassed skipper were the only damage when a tall ship got stuck on a rock in the Bay of Islands with 40 passengers

An 11-year-old child has been critically hurt after being struck by a vehicle at Te Paki stream in the Far North.

A Northland culinary school which closed down suddenly last month, putting tutors out of work and students in limbo, was owned by

A new initiative is bringing inmates and their families closer together by teaching fathers how to be fathers.

A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.

The adoptive grandmother of Alan Langdon is heartbroken the Kawhia man and his 6-year-old daughter Que have not been heard from in 11 days.

Alan Langdon, 49, and his daughter, Que, 6, haven't been seen or heard from since they sailed from Kawhia Harbour 11 days ago.

The disappearance of a father and daughter who set sail in a small catamaran 10 days ago is "very upsetting" for the family's local community.

A seabird expert has described the discovery of mutilated flesh-footed shearwaters in sand dunes as "barbaric and completely unacceptable''.

Police are concerned for the welfare of a 49-year-old man and his daughter who left Kawhia Harbour on a catamaran nine days ago and haven't been seen since.

What will start out as a cloudy morning for most of the country should clear as the Christmas day wears on, but the odd shower is in store too.

The best spots for enjoying a Christmas hamper outdoors will be in the Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Central Otago tomorrow.

Wet weather today will clear throughout the country making way for a mainly fine Christmas weekend.

A 10-year-old Whangarei boy who was hit by a car while on a pedestrian crossing remains in a stable condition in Starship Children's

The luxurious Helena Bay Lodge in Northland has been named the world's best new hotel.

A boy is in critical condition after being hit by a car in Whangarei this afternoon.

The Armed Offenders Squad cordoned off part of Raumanga, Whangarei, this morning in the hunt for a wanted 25-year-old.

What will the weather be doing on Sunday for Christmas?

There was a record downpour in Auckland, a tornado in Taranaki and "quake lights" above Wellington. Oh, and 2016 was likely also New Zealand's hottest year on record.

Police are warning holidaymakers not to walk alone in unknown areas following a 10-hour search to find a man who got lost on a walk. Sergeant

A former world number one tennis player has bought a prime chunk of Russell waterfront for almost $6 million.

Kauri dieback infection rates in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park have more than doubled in the past five years.