All technology is doomed to become redundant at some point, but the speed at which obsolescence is conferred upon our gadgets is increasing.

Politician Nanaia Mahuta carries a great deal of expectation on her shoulders - and her back as well as her feet.

Cricketer-turned-politician believed to have tied the knot with divorced mother-of-three - but his family do not approve.

A shark hooked by a fisherman that "tail-walked" before breaking free may well have been a great white, a passing charter skipper says.

Rescued moreporks and two-headed lambs - our furry friends made headlines in the past year for good, bad and downright odd reasons.

This year in books and music, on stage and social media, women have put feminism top of the cultural agenda, says Alice Vincent.

With 2015 just hours away there are plenty of options for those still undecided on how to celebrate the New Year.

Speculation is rife that Sally Ridge has married her partner Warren Fenning in a small family ceremony at a Tauranga boutique B&B owned by Ridge's mum.

Looking back on 2014 New Zealand's historians will see an unremarkable election. The economy was booming, the Government stable, the Prime Minister popular and opinion polls giving his party every prospect of a comfortable re-election.

Stalwart Labour MP Trevor Mallard married journalist Jane Clifton in an intimate and sunny ceremony in Wellington yesterday.

Tattoo you: Well known Kiwis show off their ink. Pua Magasiva and KJ Apa, Shortland St stars. Their on-screen characters on Shortland Street do not have much to do with each other.

It has long been claimed that names can influence your chances of doing well in life and now it seems that monikers can impact on behaviour at school as well.

What might have been. That phrase kept popping into the head as Brendon McCullum crashed the ball around - and out of - the Hagley Oval arena.

A hippopotamus was left lying injured on the side of the road for hours after making a panicked jump from a truck in Taiwan.

Sports fans know about the phenomenal exploits of Brendon McCullum, Lydia Ko and the All Blacks this year. Michael Burgess looks back at 10 other feel-good sports stories that captured the imagination in 2014.

I had a spring in my step all throughout 2014 as the writer of these so-called secret diaries, with their made-up chronicles of the most wretched newsmaker of the week.

2014 served up more than its fair share of major entertainment stories. From tragic deaths to celebrity scandals, the entertainment industry often dominated the headlines.

British actress Helena Bonham Carter and Alice in Wonderland director Tim Burton have separated after 13 years together.

Chow Chow dogs, painted and dyed to look like panda bears, have been seized from an Italian circus.

It's Christmas Eve and as Kiwis prepare to open their presents and head to the beach, The Diary tracks how celebs are spending the Christmas holiday.

There's an old maxim in poker - "If you don't know who's getting screwed, get up and walk away from the table because it is you."

Bill Gates participated in the annual Reddit Secret Santa gift exchange and gifted the lucky recipient a replica Loki helmet from Marvel's Thor franchise.

The Marsden Cross is known to most of us only as a photograph. It is on a remote northern shore in the Bay of Islands, not as accessible as Waitangi or Russell.

There are aliens living amongst us, not little green men but foreign animal species from ecosystems far away, writes Sally Hibbard.

Adele sent a hand-written note to Sir Elton John to apologise for missing his wedding.

Wayne Smith is likely to stay in New Zealand rugby beyond 2015, despite signing a one-year World Cup deal with the All Blacks.

She took home the crown last year, and Sian Roosenbrand will be back to compete in this year's premium fashion event on the racing calendar.

Reading an iPad or a Kindle before bed instead of a printed book can cause sleep deprivation and increase the risk of cancer, scientists say.