Tributes flow for former Invercargill and Waitematā mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt who died this morning.

Volunteers have worked to keep the whales cool throughout the afternoon and uprighted those they could.

Manage My Health was due to begin informing affected patients on Thursday and meanwhile has referred people to its website for more information.

Renting in the Central Otago Lakes District region is now more expensive than Auckland, though renters elsewhere are seeing relief.

Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have become immensely popular.

No amount of social media views was worth people risking their lives, Water Safety NZ says.

MetService said the heat would really ramp up over the weekend, with forecasts indicating 35C to 37C

A biosecurity response is underway in Auckland after a single male Queensland fruit fly was found on Wednesday morning.

The intersection of Gaisford and Oringi roads in Kumeroa is blocked and diversions are in place.

Councils are warning locals to get ready as a heatwave looks to blanket parts of the country.

The pipe burst on Kingston Heights Road meant water would be off until about 5.30pm, Wellington Water says.

No open air fires can be lit in Canterbury over the weekend with temperatures rising into the 30s and strong northwesterlies predicted.

Earth Sciences New Zealand is expecting the rest of summer to remain warm and wet for many regions.

While it's not unheard of for tūī to mimic car alarms and the like, birds that talk are relatively rare.

It was another near-record year, but some places got more heat than others.

Emergency services responded after a car ran over a pedestrian in Auckland's Westmere.

Police are investigating following the aggravated robbery in the early hours of Boxing Day.