EXCLUSIVE: Mother hits out at Wellington primary school's "dirty little secret": "I'm horrified a school would do that, my son is petrified of the dark."

Several crashes around the country today, three dead, at least five injured.

The race to elect a new mayor for Auckland and other cities and towns round the country is drawing to a close.

The inaugural Black Power Film Festival offers wine, appetisers and discussion - perhaps not the first things most people would associate with a gang.

Housing Minister Nick Smith says there are tentative signs that the Auckland housing market could be cooling down, but he will not be confident until prices have eased for six months or more.

A Wellington boy was worried outgoing mayor Celia Wade-Brown would miss her mayoral chains - so he made her some new ones out of chocolate

The 47-year-old man accused of lighting a number of rubbish bins on fire across Wellington has appeared in court. Robert Mackie

Professor Norbert Lammert, the Speaker of the German Federal Parliament, will attend events in Auckland and Wellington.

Identified as having gender dysphoria, 6-year-old Ollie Maihi has "blossomed" since transitioning into a girl.

Wellington house values rose 21 per cent in the last year, outstripping Auckland's 15 per cent, but Queenstown values are rising fastest.

A Lower Hutt man has been arrested in connection with an assault which occurred last week in Stokes Valley. Hutt Valley Police arrested

An endangered penguin has been returned to the wild after being treated for abdominal wounds at Wellington Zoo.

Guards will be posted at Wellington's Botanic Garden after a Friday night party left a WW1 memorial sculpture damaged and litter and broken glass strewn around Remembrance Ridge.

Train passengers on the Wellington region's Hutt Valley and Kapiti lines will have 1000 more seats to choose from in morning and afternoon

Earlier reports of a gunman in Wellington this evening were a false alarm, police say.

More than 4080 people have reported feeling the 4.4 magnitude quake which has hit northwest of Wellington.

This will be a good weekend to check out the museum or cuddle up with a book as heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the country.

A male has been taken to hospital in a serious condition after an incident on Wellington Urban Motorway's Terrace off-ramp. Police

Software engineer Donald Gordon moved to Whanganui because of the local council's investment in fibre broadband. Now other councils are being urged to take lead in boosting regional economies. Made with funding from NZ on Air

Join Tristram Clayton as he discovers one of Wellington's best kept secrets, now yours to own!

A Wellington postie has dumped 3000 mail items, including 300 voting papers.

The chief executive of Wellington Council says he would welcome outside scrutiny of a deal to pay Singapore Airlines to fly to the city.

COMMENT: Given all the rugby union claim to have learnt, they should be exemplars of good behaviour and doing what is right.

Lyall Bay Surf and Lifesaving Club house has been jazzed up with a mural - less than a week before it's due to be demolished.

The Solicitor General is "looking into" a judge's decision to issue a young rugby player a discharge without conviction for assaulting four people.

A female pedestrian hit by a car in Wellington last night is recovering in hospital.

Protesters to target a Lions' match this Friday over the union's decision to keep a contracted player acquitted of a violent attack.

A junior Navy officer who alleges she was sexually violated by a superior says he pinned her down and told her: "Shh, just let it happen."

A woman was lost in Wellington bush this evening after taking a nap during an afternoon walk.

A man is in a critical condition after being stabbed at a 21st birthday party in Lower Hutt.