The man chosen as Auckland Transport's new chief executive has pulled the handbrake, before even getting in the driver's seat.

The Bug of the Year campaign coincides with a pollination workshop which aims to improve understanding about bugs and give people added insect-ive to vote.

Organisers for Gisborne music festival Rhythm & Vines say artist Dizzee Rascal will remain in this year's line-up, despite a conviction for domestic violence.

Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon is calling on Kaipara's new Mayor to reconsider his ban on karakia at the start of council meetings.

A social media post of a penguin stopping traffic at Scott Base has gone viral, with more than five and a half million views in two days.

The mother of the murdered five-year-old says she hopes no other parent in prison will ever face losing a child in this way.

Emergency services have responded to a serious crash in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu.

There were angry scenes and a heavy police presence at the High Court at New Plymouth today where two men and a teenager involved in a gang-related murder made appearances.

Police probing the death of Craig McKelvie have located the vehicle sought in previous appeals to the public.

After parents of newborn twins were told one of their daughters would die, medical staff suggested turning off the machines keeping their other child alive.

Staff shortages have forced the closure of an in-patient mental health unit at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital.

Gore District deputy mayor Stewart MacDonell has resigned from the role.

The son of a dairy owner who was stabbed to death in 2014 tells First Up that the justice system is wasting money on criminals and ignoring the victims.

A man has appeared in court after a stabbing outside a central Wellington supermarket on Thursday night.

Justice advocacy groups say the government should be doing more to address child abuse.

A gun store in Christchurch has been ram-raided and a second business burgled using mallets to gain entry.

Qualifications Authority figures show students went into exams with fewer NCEA credits under their belts than in any of the previous three years.

The Chief Ombudsman is vowing to monitor Oranga Tamariki weekly to ensure children in need of protection receive it.