A 9-year-old Papamoa girl who dragged a young boy from the surf has shrugged off her hero status and says she was just doing what she has been trained to do.

Health officials' delays in creating rules for the new legal high market are a bonanza for approved dealers of now-lawful drugs.

Ill-prepared families are dumping elderly relatives at hospitals before going on their holidays in a practice known as "granny dumping".

Indy was given to the SPCA after her previous owners moved from a country property to a small central home where there was not enough room for her to play.

The strange debate this year about whether Dan Carter should give way to Aaron Cruden in the All Blacks led Paul Lewis to compile a XV of those either pensioned off too early or who left the stage before time.

Herald on Sunday photographers Doug Sherring and Michael Craig documented moments of joy, grief and high drama in 2013. These are some of their favourite pictures from the year.

Lying flat on the dirt in a Namibian desert, Stephen Belcher was just 30m away from a hunting leopard.

Wet weather, a serious crash and the post-Christmas rush combined to bring bumper-to-bumper congestion on long sections of highways.

Labour's David Cunliffe faces a conundrum - how to convince New Zealand voters it's time to break away from the "old economic orthodoxies" when the data shows the country is poised for a relative boom, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

These domestic shorthair tabby kittens are playful and loveable. They get along well so would love to be adopted together.

Lydia Ko says her arrangement with the coach who oversaw her rise from a five-year-old into a world-class golfer could not last, now she was living in the US.

In our final weather video for 2013 we bring you the latest forecast for Christmas Day across New Zealand, plus the prediction for the days following. There is some good news for farmers and those who need rain water – but holidaymakers may question the timing! We also take a look at a great photo from Toronto Canada, following freezing rain there earlier today. Plus – the Live Santa Tracker is back at WeatherWatch.co.nz!

Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko and her long-time coach Guy Wilson have split. Wilson has overseen Ko's rapid rise to the top of the women's game.

Let's use present momentum to develop sectors that have the potential to transform New Zealand's economy.

The pressure on Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer has eased after it was found that a free trip he took to Port Douglas was declared in the council gift register in 2011.

The parents of an American teenager missing at sea on the stricken yacht Nina are vowing to stay Downunder until she is found alive.

Residents of an inner-Auckland pensioner flat complex are shocked that their landlord Housing NZ is trying to interest developers in a real estate deal.

Matt Cairns just wanted to go for a quick swim to cool off before he got married on a sunny Gisborne Saturday.

When Santa packs his sleigh in the next couple of days, it's fair to assume he won't be needing a lot of space for parcels for one Len Brown.

Where should Ross Taylor sit among New Zealand's finest test batsmen? Right up with the best, quite clearly.

'Tis the season of comfort and joy. But if your weekend is looking crazy, uncomfortable and joyless, here are our tips for de-stressing.

The week before Christmas is the busiest at Auckland Airport. We spend 24 hours at the entry gate, witnessing the drama.

The spotlight on Len Brown's transgressions has flushed out yet another culprit in the shape, ironically, of Cameron Brewer, one of the Mayor's chief critics.

Auditor-General Lyn Provost is the right person to take inquiries into Len Brown's relationship with the SkyCity hotels and casino operator to the obvious next stage.

Chris Philpott unveils his top 10 television shows for 2013.

Amid calls of "shame on you'' from the gallery, Auckland Mayor Len Brown was thrown a lifeline by his councillors when they voted to censure him but did not hold a vote of no confidence.