Motorists on SH1 leaving Wellington faced delays of up to an hour for much of Tuesday.

Police were called to a crash in Albany, on Auckland's North Shore, at 3.25pm.

The motorway is open again after emergency services were called to a two-car crash around 1pm.

Brent Cleghorn died when his vehicle collided with a truck on Christmas Day morning near Dunedin.

One of the two great whites found on the beach at Bowentown died in a legally set net.

A slow-moving front is crossing the lower North Island.

Police believe a body found by a member of the public is an 18-year-old who went missing after jumping into North Canterbury's Waimakariri River three days before Christmas.

The person was taken to hospital after crashing near Mitcham on Tuesday morning.

Aotearoa has already had a brush with an ex-tropical cyclone this summer and more could be on the way.

But inquiries into the circumstances of the Maraenui 'incident' are ongoing.

It's been ready to welcome visitors since August but no-one knows when Auckland's newest park might open to the public.

A downed tree just south of Puhoi Rd, on State Highway 1, is bringing 10 to 15 minute northbound delays to those travelling out of the city.

A front moved up the country, bringing with it plenty of rain.

Staying up into the early hours, braving strong nor'west winds and mosquitos, Ekant Veer snapped the perfect shot of a comet over Canterbury.

'She was simply brilliant' - Kiwi writers lament the loss of author Keri Hulme, who proved the value of New Zealand's stories on the global stage.

A women's leisurewear shop is a location of interest but there are no new Covid-19 cases in Canterbury, despite the busy start to the holiday season.

One person has been flown by helicopter to Christchurch Hospital in a serious condition.

She was missing for four days, but this morning, Princess Titiara was found. Now, says her owner: "The house is back how it should be."

Expert Dr Siouxsie Wiles said Tuesday's low case numbers are due to a drop in testing over Christmas, and a truer picture will emerge after New Year.

All 132 Covid-19 tests processed from Gisborne since Christmas Eve have been negative.