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.

World boxing champion Joseph Parker says a young Samoan man with Down Syndrome will be part of his ring walk for the rest of his heavyweight career.

The Kiwi stars of Moana took it upon themselves to keep Disney true to the film's Polynesian roots - sometimes risking their jobs to do it.

You know the film is something special when the opening scene brings a tear to the eye.

A man and his son missing at sea off Tonga since Saturday have been found safe by the NZ Defence Force.

The growth in new air routes is stoking travel by New Zealanders to new destinations, according to a House of Travel survey.

The New Zealand Defence Force is helping search for three fishermen who have been missing at sea off the Pacific island-nation of Kiribati since last week.

Samoa is hoping for a knock-out result from one of its favourite sons tonight.

The Shipwreck Bar is one of the world's best beach bars and Jim, its former owner, was much-loved, writes Steve Braunias.

Two men who died in the Kaipara Harbour tragedy will today be buried by their families.

A family getaway to Vanuatu finds relaxation and the real deal, writes Sam Aldred.

A pumice raft spotted by a Royal New Zealand Air Force crew has pointed to a possible major undersea eruption somewhere in the Tonga-Kermadec volcanic arc.

New Zealand's offer to resettle 150 refugees from Australia remains on the table, the Government says, despite a new offer by the

The United States has agreed to consider taking refugees from Australian detention centres, Secretary of State John Kerry said at a press conference in New Zealand.

New Zealand fans of Disney's first Pasifika princess - Moana - will get their first glimpse of the film in mid December.

Artist Michel Tuffery and the New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Nick Hurley, explain what's being created for the RSA Cemetery in Rarotonga.

COMMENT: New Zealand's perceived geographic insulation from external dangers is now redundant.

Three fishermen missing at sea for more than a week have been found alive by the RNZAF.

Michael Brown checks into Mantaray Island Resort, in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji.

For 80 years we've been wondering what happened to Amelia Earhart during her attempt to fly around the world. This could be the answer.

Kiwi scientists have brought their pest-busting expertise to a spectacular Pacific atoll formerly owned by late legendary actor Marlon Brando.

New researchers explors how the first settlers colonised the Pacific islands.

More than 400 people have been deported for a criminal offence in the last five years - the majority from Samoa, China and Tonga.

Sam Aldred checks into the Holiday Inn, Vanuatu.

The gunman who allegedly shot two people dead had earlier retrieved a gun from a container near his house while on community work with other prisoners.

Tracey Bond tags along with a group of bar hoppers for a Tik-e Tour of Rarotonga's best watering holes.

Former Fiji military strongman Frank Bainimarama will deliver the message that Fiji is open for business.

A wetter summer season is on the cards for the upper North Island - but that doesn't mean people should go cancelling their Coromandel holiday plans.

An arrangement that allows Fijian seasonal workers to come to New Zealand is likely to be discussed by both Prime Ministers.

At Waikiki it's never a question of how long you want your ride to be. You've only got to think about how you're going to get back.