Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

A senior Queenstown police officer is facing a code of conduct inquiry after being caught speeding in the Kawarau Gorge.

Almost three-quarters of people who think they have olive skin actually only have fair skin, according to a University of Otago study.

A nurse has been struck off the register for punching a "vulnerable" elderly man in the mouth while she was working at a resthome.

He broke up with his girlfriend, but was determined not to waste his $200 mystery bus tour and dinner for two.

A new vaccine therapy, derived from rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD), could offer hope for colorectal cancer sufferers, researchers say.