A retired policeman and a chartered accountant are among 55 New Zealanders fleeced for $1.7 million by a Malaysia-based scam.

A new privately-funded search for the missing yacht Nina is taking off this morning - more than five months since the historic yacht left Opua in the Bay of Islands.

In the second part of a Herald investigation, we look at the MPs' property rich list. The top ten MPs, what they own and why a Labour MP didn't declare her trusteeship.

Labour MP Carol Beaumont has been forced to declare her role in administering $900,000 worth of property.

A Facebook billionaire, an investment company tied to a charitable trust working with Australian Aboriginal communities, and TradeMe founder Sam Morgan are among the largest holders of Xero shares which have soared more than 500 per cent in the past year.

Skiing down the treacherous, avalanche-swept Caroline Face of Aoraki-Mt Cook has become a goal for some of the world's most highly-skilled extreme skiers.

A coroner will hold a series of inquests into forestry workers' deaths with the aim of identifying systemic issues within the country's deadliest industry.

Inspired by "the most famous tabloid photo of the decade", Herald photographer Alan Sayers slipped into a chorister's robes with his camera concealed beneath.

"Do you know why we're called the Moon Travellers?" asks Jude Mackie, handing over a business card which proclaims, "Moon Travellers".

A lack of protein in the modern diet is a cause of overeating and is a big factor in causing obesity, an Australian university study has found.

The City of Sails is fast becoming the City of Snails, and is rising on a list of the world's most congested cities compiled by navigation firm TomTom.

The study of blood-splatter patterns, made famous by popular TV crime shows CSI and Dexter, is being looked at by NZ researchers.

Peter "Fats" Fatialofa was known for his big smile and happy nature. But you never wanted to get on his wrong side, recalls All Black great and old friend Michael Jones.

Mayor Len Brown will propose a "living wage" of $18.40 for all Auckland Council staff at a council meeting today.

Apart from the occasional verbal inconsistency in declaring where they stand on issues - and English talking too loudly about selling Kiwibank - there have been no visible schisms in the Key-English combination.

Embalmer Marissa Deadman admits she is sometimes embarrassed when handing out her business card.

It's three months since Melissa Ray and Tash Vitali got married - and the same-sex couple say gay marriage opponents' predicted social chaos came to nothing.

Panguru pub owner Charlie Dunns recalls life as a boxing champ.

In the latest of our Meet the CEOs series, Adrian Orr, NZ Superannuation Fund chief executive talks to Herald markets reporter Tamsyn Parker.

It would be natural to expect the French to be a tougher side to beat in Paris than they were in New Zealand. They rarely lose Six Nations games in Paris and even if they occasionally lack accuracy at home, they live off emotion and passion and deliver greater intensity.

The All Whites team for the World Cup playoff with Mexico will be named this morning - but getting many of the squad to North America remains a challenge.

All the great sporting franchises, teams, sportsmen and women are constantly looking for an edge; the small percentages that add up to big gains.

A Kiwi diver was dragged behind a humpback whale as he tried to free it from a tangle of commercial fishing gear in Fijian waters.

The former mistress of Auckland Mayor Len Brown wants failed mayoral candidate John Palino to front up about an alleged plan to bring down the mayor.

The Royal New Zealand Navy has refused to say whether sailor Grenville McFarland has been stood down from service while on bail.

A 27-year-old has appeared in court in connection with an attack on a trainee primary teacher who died in Auckland hospital this morning.