Tongan community leaders are calling for water, non-perishable food, batteries and torches after a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.

A 72-year-old Rakaia farmer died after a perforated bowel was not detected until two days after robotic surgery at Christchurch's Southern Cross Hospital.

A new $130,000 sign on the Wellington waterfront is designed to be "Instagram-able".

Police received reports of a man presenting a firearm during an apparent family harm incident at a property in Linwood.

Chris Luxon is on a mission to "earn back trust and confidence" for his party, and connecting with more Kiwis outside Parliament is part of it.

St John ambulance paramedics took a person in a serious condition to Whakatāne Hospital.

Months after 15 german shepherds were seized from a breeder, more dogs were found tied up on a bank, without shelter or water.

Sean Murrihy has not been seen since January 13. His brother believes he may have returned to the Tararua ranges, where he loved tramping as a child.

Shaan Hill received an unwelcome Christmas surprise when Waka Kotahi mistakenly fined him and 28,523 other toll road users for late payments.

Mote Pahulu was born on Mango Island, where a dozen homes - the entire village - were wiped out by the tsunami that hit Tonga on Saturday.

At 72, Robert Martin had flown the entire length of the South Island, "soaring up there, no engines, just his wings", his daughter says.

His side has now won five games and needs one further victory on Thursday to qualify for post section.

Aid appeals are getting under way for tsunami-stricken Tonga, but warnings are being sounded about donating to unverified organisations.

The rapid clean-up means NZDF planes can land this week, Lord Fakafanua says, but a food shortage is looming after a devastating eruption.

A nightclub in Auckland and restaurant in Rotorua have been listed as the latest locations of interest linked to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Tongan expat Suliana Mone says the anxious wait and sleepless nights go on as she waits to hear from home about the disaster no-one was expecting.

Filokalafi Akau’ola was “kind of luckily” on the phone with his family in Tonga when the underground volcano Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai erupted on Saturday.

The fire has grown by more than 200 hectares since Monday and a sudden wind shift could push it across containment lines, firefighters say.

John Tamihere-led organisation wants contact details for families of Māori children, so it can get them immunised for Covid-19.

Brian James, 23, had been making plans for his future before he was killed in a shooting on Christmas Eve.