Kaikoura's world-renowned wild marine environment will be better protected by a new marine reserve.

Stacey Jaundrell couldn't believe it when she heard her friend Charlotte Dawson was dead.

We were just the width of a wobble board away from becoming a state of Australia at the time of that country's federation in 1901.

A New Zealand forensic scientist helped provide the crucial breakthrough in a horrific Australian murder cold case.

The family of Kiwi Paul Weeks are hanging on to slim hopes he could still be alive after it was revealed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 flew for more than seven hours.

It's a sunny weekday morning and the lounge of Maygrove Village in Orewa is sparsely populated.

Prime Minister John Key does not think Judith Collins' dreadful week in politics will affect her long-term ambition to lead the National Party.

Charlotte Dawson's closest friends want you to know they loved her, they valued her, their lives are not the same without her. But they also want you to know the truth.

The National Government has been accused of "cronyism" over the handling of a donation from a wealthy businessman granted citizenship against official advice.

They were born 60 seconds apart, but 3-year-old Finn Dale towers over his twin brother Toby.

Malaysia Airlines faces an uphill public relations battle as it struggles to get on the front foot after the disappearance of MH370.

What began as four schools coming together each year to celebrate cultural difference - performing on a makeshift stage on the school grounds.

It's one of the country's craziest intersections - a dreaded pinchpoint for traffic heading north of Auckland.

Caroline Little isn't scared of earthquakes. She has found herself beset by them for much of her life.

The Auckland Council has confirmed that an extra 2000 or so properties are covered by a controversial rule requiring owners to seek iwi approval to work on their land.

Dr Nicola Gaston tells a story about an encounter at an international conference dinner one night in 2012.

A former equities analyst faces up to five years jail and a US$200k fine for insider trading, after telling his Aussie mate about a big deal with a top New York firm.

Labour leader David Cunliffe helped with the purchase of a $4 million beach retreat for a wealthy businessman who later secretly donated to the MP's leadership campaign.

This will be the no-contest election, won by a government whose arrogance - already at Justin Bieber levels - will only grow as the year goes by, writes Paul Little. The losers will be us.

A rebel group of mayors is holding an exclusive meeting at a luxurious golf resort to organise a fight against new Super Cities.

Russia's President is deserving of respect - the kind you would show if you were in close proximity to a hissing cobra, writes John Armstrong.

Auckland Uni is at risk of slipping from a "storehouse of knowledge to a foreign warehouse" as it is increasingly catering for international students at the potential expense of NZers, says Shane Jones.

Work has begun on some of NZ's most historic school buildings as the Govt scrambles to work out by next month which are at high risk in an earthquake.

Close your eyes and imagine a little. Take yourself back to the 1995 Rugby World Cup when a young Tongan thundered down the left wing for the All Blacks.

What's the future big thing in social media? Social media editor Paul Harper finds a group of Kiwis who think they've found it.

It's been 22 years since the Pasifika Festival introduced Auckland to the sights, sounds and tastes of the islands.

Kiwis are drinking more alcohol and eating more bread, red meat and takeaways than a year ago, data from Southern Cross shows.

The lives of thousands of unsuspecting aircraft passengers have been placed at risk this year by people targeting planes with high-powered handheld lasers.