Wellington rail services have resumed following inspections for earthquake-related damage.

Prime Minister says he's yet to get a briefing on how much yesterday's quake might have cost, but, in principle, the country can afford another big one.

A prominent Kapiti couple died in a suicide pact after the husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, a coroner has found.

Wellington's food festival is a treat for the palate. Don Kavanagh reports.

Danielle Wright finds Wellington alive with art events, food and popular culture this winter.

Dr John Key has blurted out loud what we've long suspected, Wellington is a terminal case, writes Brian Rudman. Incurable. "We don't know how to turn it around."

A young killer who stabbed a Lower Hutt father of two has been sentenced to life imprisonment, and must serve a minimum of 10 years.

Heavy rain resulted in dozens of callouts to slips and flooding around homes in Wellington overnight. * Have you been affected by Wellington's weather? Send us your photos here.

A killer who licked blood from a knife after stabbing a young father of two in the chest could be sentenced for murder as early as this week.

Murder accused Shayd Robinson was seen to wipe a knife across his mouth and call out something like "your blood tastes sweet", a court heard today.

Drivers returning home from the Easter break can expect a long, slow drive on congested, wet roads in many parts of the country.

An elderly woman was seriously injured in a three-car crash which closed northbound traffic on State Highway 2 between Wellington and Lower Hutt.

A "mindless" arson attack on a Scout hall in Wellington could have jeopardised children's Easter camping plans, the local Scout leader says.

A climate expert believes summers like this one will become the new norm for New Zealand. Droughts have already been declared across much of the North Island.

A shortage of water across the Wellington region means there is now a ban on garden sprinklers and irrigation systems.

The drought is working its way down the country, and with with no change predicted until at least mid-March, farmers from Northland to Southland are suffering.

Fourteen jobs have been cut at Wairarapa DHB to create one management team across the Wairarapa and Hutt Valley DHBs.

A discarded cigarette butt has been blamed for a blaze that wreaked $250,000 worth of damage to a shed, vehicles and equipment at a Masterton garden supply firm.