Crown-company Otakaro spent $108,000 headhunting internationally for its chief executive, only to choose a locally based man.

Government agencies are being accused of playing "fast and loose" with taxpayer money.

A man whose alcohol addiction had "overwhelmed him" since the death of his wife, fell asleep drunk in the back of the Greymouth District Court

A short, sharp downpour has caused headaches on one central Auckland roadway, as a sub-tropical airflow makes its presence felt.

The man was taken to Dunedin Hospital by St John ambulance in a serious condition.

A 55-year-old man has been seriously injured after an assault at a Green Island property.

A large gang fight in Ashburton involving weapons has resulted in police making nine arrests.

A Southland boy has been taken to hospital in serious condition after being burned by hot water.

Jock Davies looks like any other sports-mad Kiwi kid, but behind his youthful grin is courage aplenty.

The driver of a car which crashed, killing himself and a cyclist in Christchurch, wasn't wearing a seatbelt and was believed to have been drinking.

The former rugby player at the centre of the kidnapping of three men and the assault of one in Queenstown in late 2014 has been sentenced to time in jail.

A person was in Dunedin Hospital overnight after they were hit in the head with a baseball bat at the weekend.

All Blacks greeted with a powerful haka by local high schools on their arrival in Dunedin Airport for their last test match against Wales

Two men plucked from Lake Wakatipu after an ill-equipped attempt to go camping on an island are lucky to be alive, Queenstown's harbourmaster says.

A woman has been rescued from the Abel Tasman National Park after becoming unwell during a day walk, police say.

A Christchurch motorcycle gang headquarters has been shut down by police.

Two people are dead after a two vehicles and a cyclist collided in Christchurch.

The 19-year-old son of a New Zealand rich-lister has admitted hitting a female police officer - more than a year after the attack occurred.

Delays expected after collision in Christchurch.

Five other workers treated for smoke inhalation as incident unfolded at Christchurch's Ravensdown fertiliser facility.

A former principal of a Canterbury school facing child sex charges from the 1990s lost name suppression today.

A Timaru toddler who fell 150cm through floorboards in the bathroom of his home is now back to normal after his extraordinary escapade yesterday.

Fifteen-year-old Shayden Bodsworth was reported missing near the Bealey Ave and Colombo St intersection at about 5.00pm today.

A Christchurch truck driver who hit and killed a tourist cyclist was driving a large truck and trailer unit with "significant blind spots", a court heard today.

A police spokeswoman said a person called police at 4.30am to say they had heard a group of people "talking about a bomb".

A man who lost his five-week-old daughter and partner in the Christchurch earthquake has been sentenced under the Harmful Digital Communications Act.

The search for missing two-year-old Emily Saunders has been put on hold until river conditions change.