A serious crash has closed State Highway 1 at Pukerua Bay north of Wellington this morning.

Police are currently looking for Stephen Christopher Rowe, who has a warrant to be recalled to prison.

The WCC has stopped providing free recycling bags to 800 homes after they were found to have "ongoing rubbish offences".

Police say nine properties have been searched for evidence of P production and supply, and money laundering involving the Head Hunters gang.

Wellington's award-winning Tsunami Blue Lines Project has caught the eye of emergency management offices in the United States.

A scrub fire in Upper Hutt has forced homes to be evacuated, a firefighter to be hospitalised and roads to be closed.

A staff member at the police college near Wellington has died after getting into difficulty in the swimming pool this afternoon.

A handful of Upper Hutt city councillors are in the firing line after making the city a TPP-free zone.

The mystery behind the murder of Matthew Stevens. Phil Taylor revisits the crime scene.

A witness said in about five minutes the Silverstream McDonald's on Fergusson Drive was up in flames.

One person was seriously injured this evening in a crash north of Wellington that closed the busy road in and out of the capital.

The blaze appears to have started in the kitchen and spread quickly into the ceiling of the building.

A man who hid methamphetamine inside two neck pillows has been arrested at Wellington Airport.

A scuba diver was discovered on the sea floor near Red Rocks in Wellington by another diver.

The community's spirit and their pet eels are a source of pride in this town, discovers Elisabeth Easther.

Martinborough offers 25 wineries, good tucker and a buzzy nightlife.

A roadtrip to Palliser Bay can take a traveller's breath away, writes Richard Moore.

Bustling Lambton Quay was cordoned off between Panama St and Grey St after a suspected explosive device was found outside a McDonalds at about 2.30pm yesterday.

Hutt Valley police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Renee Kathleen Sargent. She is described as a 1.65m tall, thin build, with dyed blonde hair.

Colourful boatsheds set the scene at friendly Titahi Bay, finds Elisabeth Easther.

Wellingtonians are poking fun at their city's bus drivers after a minor crash on the capital's main entertainment strip.

Police said the impact injured the vehicle's two occupants. The crash happened about 6.20pm near Te Horo.

Emergency services have flooded to a reported anthrax scare in Wellington this afternoon, only to find out it was a false alarm.

Wellington City Councillor Iona Pannett applauded Porirua's move but said there were no plans to introduce a similar bylaw in the capital.

Police said more than 20 officers from across Wellington carried out two search warrants in Waitangirua and Cannons Creek early this morning.

A scene guard remains in place this morning at an address in Wellington where the body of a man was discovered last night.

Neighbours of the high-risk sex offender who went on the run were in the dark about his past, something they say is unacceptable in an area children often visit.

The convicted sex offender accused of going on the run after cutting off his electronic monitoring bracelet has appeared in court this morning.

A yacht which came into trouble in seas outside Wellington this morning is being towed into Wellington Harbour.