Seaside residents hope a freedom camping ban will mark the end of unwanted surprises outside their homes.

Wellington commuters can finally pay for a train with electronic ticketing - but only on one of the region's rail lines.

Two people armed with guns demanded money from the St Kilda Tavern on Sunday.

It was a senseless accident, their granddaughter said, and the family holds no animosity.

ANALYSIS: The region is starting to look a bit like a border town, a front line, a buffer zone between two very different Covid-19 response strategies and soon, two very different sets of rules.

Records fell as art estate went under the hammer in Auckland.

The Ministry of Health is reporting 207 new cases, and a death after a woman who had underlying health conditions died at the North Shore Hospital. Meanwhile, 90 people remain in hospital.

Wairarapa mayors urge the capital to be prepared after a positive case visited the area last weekend.

The family, including four children aged between 7 to 11 years old, had camped out overnight and were spotted just before 10am.

Residents advised to secure anything that could be uplifted by the wind, as strong gusts are forecast for Canterbury and the top half of the South Island.

Lee Taniwha's life changed forever when he dived into a friend's pool. Now, he's welcoming a government funding boost for spinal injury survivors.

Police are urging anyone who saw five-year-old Malachi Subecz in the last few months to come forward after he died in Starship’s Children Hospital on Friday.

“We’ve all absolutely had enough, and it’s time for the government to hear it,” the district's mayor, Marie Black, said.

For two months, city councillors were kept in the dark as budget problems grew with Christchurch’s multimillion-dollar stadium project.

Rotorua mayor issues a plea for residents to get vaccinated as 207 community cases were reported on Sunday, 15 outside of Auckland, and one death.

Over 2500 returnees were eligible to leave MIQ on Sunday, following changes to the length of time international arrivals need to spend in managed isolation.

OPINION: The threat comes from misinformed unvaccinated people from which another Covid variant could spread, writes Tom O'Connor.

Canterbury’s mental health services are struggling to solve staffing problems while borders are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mayor Steve Chadwick makes a plea to her community after two community cases were detected in Rotorua. The Tararua District also has two cases.

Waikato is entering week seven of lockdown in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period, so business owners are desperate for restrictions to loosen.