Staff at the Auckland City Mission have been rushed off their feet and will be cooking Christmas dinner for more than 2000 people tomorrow.

Former All Blacks star Doug Howlett was arrested by Irish police on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly at his Christmas party night out with his Munster teammates.

Rebecca Barry meets a group of New Zealanders for whom life means much more than material possessions.

A nine-year-old with horrific injuries never wants to see her parents again, a court has heard.

Spain has become the latest country to pass an anti-smoking law for its eateries.

The family who adopted Trooper - the puppy that was rescued after being found outside the Gate Pa shops, in Tauranga, with its ears chopped off - say he is settling in to his new home very well.

A couple accused of torturing their nine-year-old daughter appeared briefly in court this morning.

The mother of a girl, 5, found dead in her bed after an alleged assault was trying to escape violence in her life.

Eden Park Trust is hoping the first large crowd at the stadium since the Four Nations rugby league debacle last month will be well-behaved.

New claims emerged last night that the nine-year-old girl allegedly tortured by her parents was also sexually abused while in Child Youth and Family care.

A field hospital has been set up in the heart of London's financial district to treat blind-drunk corporate revellers.

NZ's broadcasting watchdog has upheld complaints about 3News showing sex scenes from Outrageous Fortune.

It is with huge regret and disgust that once more, New Zealanders wake up to find 'caregivers' accused on brutally assaulting their children.

At $240 an hour, the job offers one of the best pay rates in Auckland - and any bloke could do it lying on his back.