National Party has waved the white flag in the upcoming Mt Albert byelection, with Labour accusing Bill English of "running scared" and daring him to call an early election.

Dozens of people have been executed by Syrian government loyalists sweeping through the remaining opposition-held districts of Aleppo.

In his farewell speech to Parliament Shearer told how he has come full circle, retelling the mango skins story of a time that had a profound effect on him.

Labour MP David Shearer says his decision to leave Parliament to head to conflict-ridden South Sudan was because it was a "remarkable"

Jacinda Ardern is thinking of standing in Mt Albert as MP David Shearer looks set to quit Parliament.

The public's reaction to Labour MP David Shearer's resignation from Parliament has so far been overwhelmingly supportive this morning.

Labour leader Andrew Little hopes to avoid a byelection, and to have an early general election instead, following David Shearer's resignation.

Exclusive: Labour MP David Shearer is poised to resign from Parliament to take up the tough job of leading the United Nations' mission in war-torn South Sudan.

New Zealand tried and failed to get a truce in Aleppo.

NZ's foreign minister is making one last push to get a Security Council resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

New Zealand's offer to resettle 150 refugees from Australia remains on the table, the Government says, despite a new offer by the

The United States has agreed to consider taking refugees from Australian detention centres, Secretary of State John Kerry said at a press conference in New Zealand.

Donald Trump could award some of his closest campaign advisers with big league jobs in his cabinet come January.

Donald Trump has promised that as president he will honour the pledge stitched into his white and red baseball caps: Make America Great Again.

A former soldier who defrauded people out of thousands of pounds by pretending to be a decorated war veteran with cancer has been jailed for 16 months.

The Government spent hundreds of thousands on Helen Clark's UN bid, including fees for Washington lobbyists.

The United Nations have said that at least 239 migrants have drowned this week in two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya.

A month after Hurricane Matthew blasted through southwestern Haiti, at least 800,000 people need food urgently.

Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee got a stern rebuke from China when he made the mildest of observations about Beijing's expansionist maritime policy.

They survived Boko Haram, now millions are at risk of starvation. It has been described as one of the world's biggest humanitarian disasters.

New Zealand believes it has found a good middle ground for a Security Council resolution demanding an end to attacks that may kill civilians in Syria - days after Russia vetoed a similar text.

Minister Anne Tolley says the UN Rights of the Child committee in Geneva asked her 250 questions but only one on child poverty.

New Zealand has accused Syria of telling "blatant lies" about the delivery of humanitarian aid to its own people.

US Secretary of State John Kerry called for the Syrian and Russian governments to face a war-crimes investigation over attacks on civilians in Syria.

There are a number of reasons Antonio Guterres may have been the popular choice.

COMMENT: Helen Clark did not go to ground following her failure this week to secure the job of her dreams, the head of the UN.

COMMENT: Helen Clark's push for the top United Nations job failed through no fault of her own.

The United Nations' next boss is a charismatic, former socialist prime minister who led the UN's refugee agency during one of its most difficult times.

Helen Clark is politically astute enough though to know that she was always going to be an outside choice for the top UN job.

The feeling in Europe was that it would be a "tragedy" if it had not been able to provide the next Secretary-General, said Foreign Minister.