The weather's going to be (finally) glorious for most of the country.

There was nothing unusual about the late-night 5.1 quake that shook Marlborough and the lower North Island on Wednesday, says a scientist.

The dramatic, kilometres-deep canyons that lie hidden beneath our waves need protection from human pollution and damage, scientists say.

A bleak forecast is in store for those heading to major sporting and music events today.

Police in Wellington are searching for a man seen riding a dirt bike while carrying a baby on his back.

The "safe version" of a Great White shark has washed up on Wellington's shore, leaving experts puzzled about what may have happened to it.

Kaikoura quake damage to businesses has topped $900 million, according to insurance figures.

A quirk in the law means Bill English cannot live in the official prime ministerial home.

Most of the country can expect another warm, dry holiday weekend, but the West Coast is in for a wet one.

Nearly 300 illegal paua were taken from the Wellington coast - and just one was the legal size.

A woman has been taken to hospital after being hit by a stolen car fleeing from police.

A project to bring more Coromandel brown kiwi to Motutapu Island is among nine Auckland community-led conservation projects awarded funding.

The area around the State Insurance Building in Wellington has been closed to pedestrians and traffic due to the apparent risk of falling glass.

Thieves have targeted veterinary supplies in an early morning ram raid in Wairarapa today.

CentrePort's container shipping operation, severely damaged in the November 14 Kaikoura earthquake, is to begin operating again.

Two people were arrested at Wellington Sevens this weekend and a further 55 were removed or turned away.

A Wellington suburb has become empty and fearful, after a spate of vicious tyre slashings.

Fewer than 10,000 people turned out to Westpac Stadium yesterday, with only about 1000 left to cheer on New Zealand at the end of the night.

The body was discovered by a member of the public at Paekakariki at about 9.15am.

The woman who died in a two-car crash on a bridge near Eketahuna, north of Masterton has been named as 46-year-old Nicola Dawn Dryden.

Holiday traffic is set to build from 9am as Aucklanders make a break for the regions.

A huge fire that consumed an Upper Hutt commercial building tonight has been brought under control.

Wellington's Mayor feared he was about to die in the moments before his car collided with a truck.

Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy is calling for police to record hate crime statistics to combat racism.

Police have closed the main road through Levin.

What's in store weatherwise for the upcoming long weekend?

Little Oscar Cakebread had a rough start to life, but the future's looking a whole lot brighter thanks, in part, to the efforts of three young sailors.

Five homicides within 15 months involving acutely unwell mental health patients have led to an overhaul of health systems following a critical review.

Some of areas of Upper Hutt received up to 20 millimetres of rain in minutes during last night's heavy downpour, according to MetService.

A "chance meeting on a public street" left a Paraparaumu man with 200 stitches after a vicious knife attack, a police officer says. The