Lower Hutt man Sean Murrihy was last seen on Thursday, and may have gone into the Tararua Ranges, police say.

Boats and large boulders have washed ashore on the main island, while volcanic ash has contaminated drinking water.

Soldiers based at Manawatū military camp rack up nearly as many criminal convictions as defence force members at all other military bases combined.

For many of us, pets are like family - and it hurts just as much when they go.

The southbound lane of State Highway 1, north of Rakaia, has been closed after the serious crash on Sunday.

Six people died on the region's roads over the summer holidays, and a top cop says heat, increased traffic, and lockdown played a role in crashes.

Hazarduous coastal conditions, including large swells and unpredictable seas, are expected to continue until mid-week.

Three families evacuated from their homes on Saturday night have been allowed to return - for now.

Coastal towns expected to bear the brunt of Cyclone Cody may now see “catastrophic” wind and rain pass them by as the subtropical storm begins to shift further east.

Four people were taken to hospital after the two-car crash on State Highway 6 near Wai-iti.

Police are seeking the public's help to find a man involved in an aggravated robbery at an Ōamaru pharmacy on Friday.

The seizure came a month after police arrested nine people as part of one of the country's largest cocaine busts.

Scrub fire threatening pine forest near Waimate is hard to get to over land.

There was a gap of more than 30 years between the oldest and the youngest finalists at the fourth Annual Oakura Bowl Jam on Saturday.

It was extremely rare for the sound to be heard so far away, but the volcanic explosion was "by far the most violent eruption we have seen in some time", a volcanologist says.

The Criterium National Championships, which was postponed because of Covid, is being raced over a 1.1 kilometre central city course.

Live images from inside a flooded church among the first pictures and videos of the tsunami aftermath to filter through.

The National Emergency Management Agency has lifted a warning to stay off the beaches, but says people should remain vigilant, as the clean-up in Northland begins.

Jack Tyro, 15, won the men’s and junior longboard divisions as well as the under 16 boys division.

Included are two past multiple world championships and legends of the game in New Zealand, Peter Belliss (Aramoho) and Gary Lawson (Stokes Valley).