Canterbury golfer delivers fast start to Japan-Australasia Championship at Royal Auckland, firing seven birdies to sit tied for second.

A man accused of murder has refused to identify key members of his explanation, citing a prison assault that left brain fluid leaking from his head.

The US has torpedoed an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka, in the first such sinking by the American navy since World War II.

Stellar unbeaten 157 from White Ferns’ left-hander leads them to dominant opening ODI victory over Zimbabwe in Dunedin.

After finding a window between sand conditions and penguin breeding requirements, workers have moved in to bring down four dilapidated baches.

Auckland’s Waikaraka Speedway is out of action after debris was found on the surface at a race day last Saturday - but the club president believes critics may be trying to “shag” his track.

The New Zealanders - ranked 35th in the world - laboured for a 3-0 win over doughty American Samoa, ranked 137th.

A Fire and Emergency worker has won compensation after a promise not to reveal a colleague’s name was broken.

The joint-venture deal comes as investors increasingly take an interest in buying commercial properties in Christchurch.

More than 200 thefts have been recorded across North Canterbury since the start of the year, costing the company more than $1m to repair.

After he was caught with hundreds of videos depicting child sexual abuse, Hamish Mitchell-Wood claimed he was ashamed. A judge didn’t buy it.

The central Christchurch owners of an adventurous cat have issued a public plea to leave him be, after strangers scooped him off to vets three times in as many weeks.

“Unrealistic” online promotion of the country’s deepest natural sinkhole threatened visitor safety, the department says.

The health workers union has claimed more than 5000 Waikato health and hospital staff went without pay this week.

The 52-year-old has been charged under the Dog Control Act after an incident reported on Andrew St, in Timaru, on February 21.

The son of Iran's assassinated leader is the frontrunner to be named as his successor - while he has limited clerical credentials, he is well versed in the business of internal repression.

The way home remains fraught for Kiwis with all flights from Dubai to Auckland cancelled and warnings to take shelter - but “help is on its way” says Winston Peters.

Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph says the appointment of Dave Rennie is ‘absolutely not’ the end of his All Blacks ambitions.

Residents remain calm, he says, despite hearing missile interceptions and seeing drones shot down above the city as conflict escalates in the Middle East.

The head of NZSIS urges parents to keep track of their teens online, with the people he is worried about spending a lot of time engaging with violent content.

A beloved family raft race set to return to Christchurch’s Heathcote River for the first time in 16 years has been called off.

The court granted them the customary marine title last year, but the Government had made the law stricter, forcing a second application.

Corrections officer’s failure to do a face-to-face risk assessment interview with Nuku Strange before his death was a missed opportunity, forensic psychiatrist says.

The jet fuel market is described as "off the charts" and in "absolute chaos" as the Middle East conflict spreads.

Critics say the Israeli-US plan would bolster the Iranian regime as a defender of the country’s sovereignty and turn the conflict into "a sectarian civil war and a regional war".

Many hope the Trump administration has a more solid plan for a transition than is clear right now

The president and senior administration figures have given different reasons for attacking Iran, as well as how long the operation could last, and the objectives behind it

Hamish Rutherford, who is also a former journalist, was named as the leader of the media company’s independent advisory board.

OPINION: Might the dynamics of regional rivalry that have kept conflict simmering and spoiled almost every opportunity to promote stability finally be broken?

The new All Blacks coach put the cat among the pigeons at his opening press conference with a pointed plug for the career-best form of his veteran lock in Japan.

The decorated endurance athlete who has outrun thousands could not outrun a raging West Coast cow who “wasn’t a fan of my kindness”.

A popular Kiwi band is taking the opportunity to offer up a few “mussel munching songs” at this year’s annual mussel festival.

The story of one Nelson photographer’s mission to capture the blood moon above the city on Tuesday.

A retailer in the North Canterbury town says anti-social behaviour is "terrifying" staff and shoppers, while questions linger over whether move-on orders will address homelessness.

Christchurch multi-sport athlete Ian Huntsman defied death once after falling 100 metres in the mountains near Aoraki Mt Cook. ⁠ This time it was tragically not to be. ⁠ The Coast to Coast instructor has died in hospital just over a week after a serious cycling incident in Sumner - a car collided…

Ian Huntsman, an engineer and Coast to Coast instructor, was cycling on Evans Pass Rd in Sumner when a vehicle collided with him near an intersection.

An EV advocate said if the proposal goes ahead, New Zealanders will be sold "the high-emitting leftovers" that manufacturers can no longer sell in Australia.

"Risk-off", where investors become fearful, uncertain, or pessimistic and move out of volatile assets into low-risk investments, is happening.

OPINION: Clifford Bay in Marlborough would supercharge the two rail-enabled ferries for Cook Strait due in 2029.

Rising values and demand for business properties are yet another sign of the city’s momentum.

Opener Finn Allen blasted a record unbeaten century to propel the Black Caps past South Africa in Kolkata.

For the first time in 125 years, Timaru will no longer have an art school with confirmation Ara’s art and design department will be closed.

ANALYSIS: As tensions in the Middle East deepen, Nicola Willis is weighing what sustained higher fuel prices would mean for households, freight costs and the Reserve Bank’s next move.

The Arts Centre could get a venue with live music, a brew bar, a restaurant and a beer garden, but the move hangs on ratepayer backing.

What is causing the river to turn brown is widely agreed upon. But why so much “porridgy” silt pours downstream is the subject of debate.

Weeks after the mass murderer testified at his own appeal, the families of his victims want to stop him doing the same to the coroner.

It did not take us long to realise why Dave Rennie had won a “unanimous” endorsement as the man to steer the listing All Blacks ship back into smoother waters.

Christchurch schoolboy Vern Toaolamai-Holden could be among the world's fastest 14-year-olds, and heads to Auckland this week to hunt down more records.

Environment Southland said the decision was a win in the fight against the weed that spreads rapidly and smothers native vegetation.

A Timaru woman is trying not to think too much about the war in Iran as her 5-year-old son undergoes specialised health investigations in neighbouring Turkey.