Japanese prosecutors are demanding two years jail for NZ anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune, on trial for assault and charges after the boarding of a harpoon ship in Antarctic waters.

A resurgence in backyard gardening is driven by those looking to eat healthier and cheaper.

A guilt-ridden English grandmother saved her four greyhounds but left her young grandson asleep upstairs when her house caught fire.

Jim Eagles visits the remote Sub-Antarctic islands and finds thriving populations of rare birds and wildlife, as well as breathtaking flora.

Hand-picked NZ bumblebees waiting to be sent to Britain on a pollination "rescue mission" have died in captivity.

Kopi luwak is a blend made from the droppings of small cat-like creatures found in Indonesia, and costs $50 for 50g here.

An orca that washed up dead near Whakatane has been buried in a nearby Maori cemetery despite researchers wanting to perform an autopsy.

Milo the terrier-cross sparked a police call-out when he wandered onto the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Staff at Orana Park in Christchurch are planning a competition to name their newest arrival.

Christchurch police are hunting a burglar who choked a pet dog, which died in the arms of its distraught teenage companion.

A tiny dog dodged dozens of cars and crossed several lanes of traffic before being caught at the top of Auckland's Harbour Bridge in rush-hour traffic.

The NZ anti-whaling activist has been called a "fascist" and a "terrorist" by a jeering spectator during his court appearance in Tokyo.