Preparations have begun for Matariki celebrations around the country, with Auckland today announcing a schedule of more than 80 events across the region.

The queue to get into a popular Palmerston North secondhand book sale formed before dawn.

It is too early to know whether this afternoon's shooting in Papakura's town centre is linked to ongoing gang tensions in Auckland, police say.

The Ministry of Health is edging closer to giving much needed support for people who have alopecia.

It may come as a surprise to some but Taranaki is officially the sunniest region in New Zealand - and it has the trophy to prove it.

Four cases of the Omicron subvariant BA.5 and one case of BA.4 have been detected in the community with 6232 new community cases and 14 further deaths also reported today.

Police say an operation investigating a string of firearms incidents in Auckland has led to the arrest of 19 people affiliated to the Killer Beez and Tribesmen gangs.

The Queen is a woman "who smiles with her eyes" and relates easily to people from all walks of life, Sir Don McKinnon says.

The Ōtorohanga mayor is urging Thomas Phillips to bring his children home and hand himself in.

Police will be out in force over the long weekend, checking motorists' speeds and targeting impaired and distracted drivers.

A couple have appeared in court after an alleged assault in a Hastings park which left a three-year-old child bloodied.

A former Victim Support worker says the charity refused to replace the bloodied clothes of a woman who'd been stabbed.

St John is getting many more 111 calls than it usually expects at this time of year, putting the ambulance service under immense strain.

The strain on hospitals and emergency departments appears to be growing as a top doctor warns they are facing a "perfect storm" of winter illness and Covid-19 cases.

Police have impounded 10 vehicles after investigating illegal street racing in Lower Hutt over Anzac weekend.

An independent investigator has been appointed to assess whether there were conflicts of interest involving a Te Hiringa Hauora/Health Promotion Agency staff member.

Customs has found methamphetamine originating from Iran in a container filled with pails of grease.

Police recovered the body late last night after it was seen in the vehicle earlier in the day.