The smile on Poppy McConville's face said it all. It was because she had been able to compete alongside her fellow pupils in the annual race.

Ninetieth birthdays are worth celebrating in anyone's book. But what do you do if you have no family in Dunedin to celebrate it with?

Police have yet to decide if they will charge a man who allegedly shot his neighbour's cat on Thursday evening.

A truck carrying gas bottles has crashed into a fence in Southland, trapping the driver inside.

Police said officers were called to a Hei Hei address about 3pm following reports a man suffered a gunshot wound to the leg.

Contractors have today started digging up the site of the Canterbury Television building as part of the ongoing police probe to see if anyone is criminally liable for the disaster.

A Christchurch man carrying a gun down the street in the middle of the day sparked a panic for a concerned witness.

One of New Zealand's best known movie locations is up for grabs for a cool $10 million.

White-out conditions at Mt Ruapehu have forced the evacuation of dozens of people from the slopes today.

Five people had to be treated for smoke inhalation after a pot being used to sterilise baby bottles was left on the stove.

Elisabeth Easther explores a piece of paradise, at the top of the South Island.

Karamea School students got a lesson on the power of nature today, after lightning struck the school during lunchtime.

Julie Abbott has no idea why anyone would want to poison her pets.

Threats and assaults on Work and Income staff in Canterbury doubled after the fatal shooting in Ashburton two years ago.

A three year investigation into Christchurch's water supply has found local authorities do not know how much water will be needed as the city grows.

Japanese students lost their lives during the 2011 earthquake. Cherry blossom trees will be planted in the Botanic Gardens to honour their memory.

Capturing the experiences and impacts of the 1981 Springbok tour on 'ordinary' Kiwis, rather than protesters, is the focus of new research.

There has been a serious house fire near Christchurch this afternoon, but no one is hurt.

Fire safety officers investigating the cause of a large fire in a two-storey block of flats in Christchurch this morning.

For a double Olympic medallist and world champion, Marc Ryan is a humble chap.

Welcome to "the circus", also known as the world's steepest street.

AJ Hackett Bungy has "sincerely apologised'' to a customer who it says received "a fright'' when they fell unexpectedly from a jump pod 160m-high.

Armed police locked down a Queenstown primary school this afternoon, as they hunted for a man they believed was armed.

Armed police have raided a house in North Canterbury this morning, suspected to be linked to illegal drugs.

A woman who drove her child to school while six times over the drink-driving limit has been sentenced to supervision and community work.

Geonet is reporting a strong magnitude 5 quake 45km northwest of Haast as striking about 7.45am, at a depth of 12km.

Wild weather yesterday aggravated coastal erosion at Cobden, with the car park at Jellyman Park now closed as a precaution due to the encroaching sea.

Police remain tight-lipped on whether they have made progress in finding the person responsible for a bomb scare at Queenstown Airport yesterday.

An ambulance is rushing to the scene of a three car crash outside Christchurch this morning, with reports of a person being trapped.

A driver had to be freed from his vehicle after a car vs bus crash outside a Dunedin supermarket this evening.