The invasive clam Corbicula fluminea was found in Lake Rotomanu on 8 November, the first discovery in NZ outside the Waikato River.

From burnouts to bare bottoms, Kiwis had a gutful of a few well-known businesses on their screens.

NZ Food Safety says the most plausible explanation is lunches meant to be served the week before were accidentally mixed in.

The cordon in Glen Innes has been lifted, and locals are trying to get on with daily routines, but some do not feel safe anymore.

The 69-year-old's death is the third homicide investigation involving inmates in double-bunk cells at Mt Eden prison since September last year.

Politicians have dominated this year's list, along with some frank conservationists.

"I figured my arrests procedures would stick," Waikato cop Mark Strongman said after detaining four people over a Tower of London protest.

The man accused of a fatal stabbing on an East Auckland bus and wounding another has been remanded in custody.

Hutt Valley Police are appealing for information after a masked offender brandishing a firearm approached bar staff at Quinns Post bar.

Names that leapt out of the pack this year included Chicabella, Chico Chan and Gyeoul Winter.

The convicted murderer is expanding his social contacts, but isn't able to have social media accounts.

The Transport Agency says the Mount Victoria tunnel has now fully reopened after a crash.

Health NZ said people should avoid the area and animals should not be allowed near the river until the health warning was lifted.

A historical novel set during the Vietnam War was at the top of the list of adult fiction issues - again.

Crisis cafés offer an alternative to brightly lit, busy, clinical spaces, says the mental health minister.