Tiori Toru was stolen by a man on a bike

Thief rides off with Whangārei gallery's sculpture tucked under arm

The wooden artwork was unbolted from its stone base outside the Hundertwasser Art Centre and carried away on a bike in the early hours of August 24.

2:22pm

Taumatamaire Rd has been closed to non-residents after unsuitable vehicles and trucks used the narrow gravel route while SH3 is closed.

Back road shut to non-locals as drivers abuse workers, ignore detours

Taumatamaire Rd has been closed to non-residents after unsuitable vehicles and trucks used the narrow gravel route while SH3 is closed.

Monday 6:25pm

Franz Josef.

NZ tourist town lives with similar flood hazard as Nepal disaster

Researchers say a landslide-dam flood modelled for Franz Josef could unleash a sudden torrent.

Sun, Aug 30

New World Stratford had announced the restriction in a statement to the community, saying it would apply "until further notice".

Taranaki supermarket scraps ban on students in school uniform

Students in Stratford High School uniform were barred from entering the store unless they were with a parent, caregiver or teacher.

Tue, Aug 25

Rain on the West Coast (file image).

'Significant winter storm' to stall over South Island from midweek

Days of prolonged rain will swell West Coast rivers before heavy snow closes in on inland passes later in the week.

Mon, Aug 24

A police officer tries to steer a cow onto grass on SH1 in South Canterbury

'Only in New Zealand': Runaway cow dodges cop, halts traffic on SH1

A runaway cow dodged a police officer and brought southbound traffic to a standstill on State Highway 1 this morning.

Mon, Aug 24

0:59

A potentially record-breaking climate pattern is intensifying unusually fast — and this weekend could offer the first taste of drier, windier conditions.

Fire crews, farmers preparing as NZ gears up for intense El Niño

A potentially record-breaking climate pattern is intensifying unusually fast — and this weekend could offer the first taste of drier, windier conditions.

Sun, Aug 23

3:13

Firefighters work to bring a large blaze under control in Albert Town on Saturday evening, with smoke and flames visible.

Firefighters battling strong winds to contain large Wānaka fire

Fire crews from Wānaka, Luggate, Lake Hāwea and Cromwell are battling a large blaze in Albert Town, with police carrying out evacuations as flames rip through vegetation.

Sat, Aug 22

0:35

The ewe and her five lambs.

'Absolutely stunned': Tasman farmer delivers rare quintuplet lambs

Alison White delivered five lambs on a freezing night in Pigeon Valley, pulling the final lamb from deep inside the ewe after thinking she had already delivered four.

Fri, Aug 21

A new roundabout at Princes St East and Brady Rd was designed to make it easier for buses to turn.

Buses struggle to navigate roundabout built to make their turns safer

Auckland Transport says drivers are getting used to the new infrastructure, but a local resident says "it's not functional for the buses at all".

Fri, Aug 21

0:59

An aerial view of Kawau Island.

Contractor shot, critically hurt during Kawau Island pest hunt

Auckland Council said it had suspended hunting activities related to the pest eradication project on the Hauraki Gulf island until further notice.

Thu, Aug 20

The deepest reds along the equator show where the ocean is running most unusually warm, a signal of a strengthening El Niño.

'Pretty unusual': Graphic highlights El Niño's rapid intensification

Ocean conditions have flipped from La Niña to a fast-intensifying El Niño in a matter of months, with more profound impacts expected for New Zealand.

Tue, Aug 18

0:38

The Mount Roskill property was advertised as a studio for $250 a week, including water and power, and appeared to have a bedroom/living area, wardrobe and ensuite bathroom, a microwave, fridge and a carpark.

'No cooking, no laundry': Rental studio listing yanked from market

MBIE says rentals must have basic cooking facilities after the Auckland ad said cooking and laundry were barred.

Mon, Aug 17

Authorities are investigating footage that appears to show two people chasing down and running over a live cow with quad bikes on the Chatham Islands, saying the behaviour falls well short of acceptable animal welfare standards.

MPI probes video of cow chased, run over by quad bikes on Chathams

The footage appears to show two people pursuing a live feral cow, with MPI saying the behaviour falls well short of acceptable animal welfare standards.

Sun, Aug 16

With the law now in force, police have set out guidance for anyone considering stepping in.

Citizen's arrest rules now in force: Police's guide to doing it legally

Any Crimes Act offence, any time, can now trigger a citizen's arrest. But there are strict rules for staying on the right side of the law.

Sun, Aug 16

Rocks fall onto State Highway 35.

Snow warnings for alpine passes, rockfall shuts Gisborne highway overnight

Snow and freezing conditions are set to spread across the country, with icy roads and bitterly cold temperatures expected into next week.

Sat, Aug 15

The country's local government map has been redrawn in a dozen different ways, some regions united, others deeply split, and a handful of councils refusing to move at all.

Who's merging with who? Councils reveal their amalgamation picks

From mergers to standoffs, councils nationwide raced to finalise Head Start proposals before Sunday's deadline.

Mon, Aug 10

4:21

Parliament (file image).

New assault, shoplifting and citizen’s arrest changes pass into law

The Crimes Amendment Bill passed its third reading in Parliament – delivering a suite of new criminal charges and powers.

Thu, Aug 6

3:53

The quake hit at 7.43pm on Wednesday, 100km deep and 560km north-east of Whakatāne, and drew 3494 felt reports from East Cape to Wellington.

'Unnoticeable' 6.2 quake felt by thousands, 'ghost quake' follows

Deep Kermadec trench quake generated thousands of felt reports before GeoNet’s system briefly detected a phantom tremor near Dannevirke.

Thu, Aug 6

Illustration of cold weather.

Coldest morning of winter ahead as snow to fall to sea level in south

MetService says snow and icy roads could disrupt travel early this week before bitterly cold mornings settle in across much of New Zealand.

Mon, Aug 3

1:19

A caravan drives along the highway near Aoraki Mt Cook.

Stubbies in winter: Are South Islanders really tougher in the cold?

The long-running North versus South winter rivalry has some truth to it, but not for the reasons most people think.

Sat, Aug 1

The sign would say 100, but the limit would be 80.

Lowering speed limit to 80km/h in Govt's plan in case of fuel shortage

It's estimated the proposal, revealed in official advice, would save millions of litres of fuel.

Sat, Aug 1

4:13

July 2026
Emergency crews mounted a complex overnight rescue on Mount Aspiring in the early hours of Wednesday morning (Source: Helicopters Otago)

Climber believed dead, found alive after 200m fall on Mt Aspiring

Rescuers were told the fall was likely to be unsurvivable but found the climber alive, hours after his companion braved a lone night climb to the 3033m summit to raise the alarm.

Wed, Jul 29

1:55

Upper Hutt's possible exit from a proposed Wellington "metro" authority has complicated the region's amalgamation plans.

'A giant dating game': Where councils stand as merger deadline looms

Some districts are close to a deal. Others have walked away entirely. Here's where every part of the country stands with two weeks to go.

Mon, Jul 27

1:31

A slip damages State Highway 3 through the Awakino Gorge in northern Taranaki.

'The cliff's coming down': Family's narrow escape in Awakino Gorge

Nikita Phillips and her family escaped by seconds when a cliff gave way onto SH3 in the Awakino Gorge in the early hours of the morning.

Sat, Jul 25