Residents of East Otago have been told it is unlikely there has been long-term health effects due to the community's exposure to lead in the drinking water.

Immigration New Zealand told the crew on superyacht Bold only those essential for its operation would be granted a visa.

Jay Christopher Lingman is accused of shooting a man three times in the head before storing the body in a chest freezer.

Another person at the address was found critically injured.

The Te Waonui Forest Retreat and Scenic Hotel in Franz Josef and the Heartland Hotel and Heartland Glacier Country in Fox Glacier will close at the end of the season in May.

Half a million dollars each year may be funnelled into ensuring community safety in Rotorua.

It is believed the body of a missing fisherman has been found in Tekapo Canal.

An independent report has recommended retaining air traffic control at Hawke's Bay airport.

A legal expert wants cultural reports to be more accessible and says they can have a profound impact on whānau.

The 28-year-old gym worker faces three counts of indecent assault and one of administering a Class B drug.

The base rate deal would increase pay for more than 300 drivers, about half of those in Wellington region, to meet the living wage.

Drugs worth more than $300,000 and a pistol have been seized in a series of raids in Dunedin.

Frontline health workers and people in high-risk settings including older people in South Auckland, people in residential care and older people - particularly Māori and Pacific - will get vaccine priority.

A Wellington man says the owner of a high-cost loan store tried to intimidate him after he emailed to complain about the business's conduct.

Increased domestic enrolments have more than made up for falling foreign student numbers at three universities.

A composting business in Taranaki has been warned not to mislead consumers by saying all of its sites and compost products are certified organic.

The man accused of murdering Auckland businesswoman Elizabeth Zhong has pleaded not guilty.

First year university students in Auckland say they are increasingly feeling isolated and finding it hard to socialise as the city moves in and out of lockdown.