A top Waikato officer says police's role in misidentifying an 11-year-old with autism was "unfortunate, and has caused a lot of impact and harm".

The former board members say no formal investigation occurred and they resigned after a breakdown in trust and confidence between themselves and the ministry.

South Wairarapa District Council wants the community to dob in suspicious vehicles after large piles of bitumen were illegally dumped.

Explainer: A terrifying shark attack on a popular Sydney swimming beach has people asking, are shark attacks getting worse? And what's the reason behind them?

A birdsong advocate is welcoming plans to bring in new obligations for cat owners - even if they are not actively enforced.

A 60-year-old decommissioned fishing trawler has been intentionally sunk off the coast of Hawke's Bay to create an artificial reef and dive site.

The girl was mistaken for an adult and restrained and injected with drugs at a Waikato Hospital mental health unit, and her family says it's had a "lasting and traumatic impact".

Principal Grant Congdon did not provide details of the allegations and the board of trustees declined to comment.

More warnings and watches could be issued over the weekend, MetService says.

Speaking to media afterwards, Winston Peters said the protest was an abuse of Parliamentary procedure.

The Association of Psychotherapists says it has received no information about the reasons for the mass resignation.

The discovery of the body is the second such incident at the site in the last week.

A 70-year-old woman caring for her mentally disabled husband all by herself says she doesn't have a life anymore and no longer feels like an individual.

The stink has plagued Christchurch's eastern suburbs since a fire almost five years ago.

Jodie Collins was 44 when she got the news that changed her life. She had the "old person's cancer".

Pest control contractors 54-year-old pilot Joseph Keeley and 25-year-old hunter Cole Ritchie died while culling feral goat and deer along Transmission Gully in January.

Police and fire crews have blocked the street outside of the apartment block.

One of the notes read: "If we have to do this again, we must cooperate better. I mean if, I hope this will not happen."

Labour and National had differing opinions on how to fix the system - but both agree the biggest issue is access.

The new Auckland dump would replace the Redvale landfill, consented to take rubbish only until the end of 2028.

A senior sergeant says "I shudder to think" what could've happened if police weren't notified of the taxi driver's behaviour.

An international Christian church is donating $250,000 towards the restoration of Christchurch's Anglican cathedral.

The woman was found dead at an address on Tokoroa's Hinau St just before midnight.

A children's advocate is urging Oranga Tamariki to sort out issues that are leading to them missing critical meetings.

Several motorbikes, cars and cyclists have slid on the substance on Lake Rd.

The Education Ministry's Curriculum Insights study showed a quarter of Year 3s and Year 8s, and a third of Year 6s met expectations last year.

The research found the most common way respondents first learnt about endometriosis was through family members or friends.

The road is closed and police advise motorists to avoid the area.

A helicopter and two ambulances are at the scene.

One person has been arrested and no-one has been hurt, police say.

The Wellington-based officer appeared in the Wellington District Court for the first time on Thursday.

It paid $111,157 for fuel over March, April, and May - compared to $77,955 over the same period in 2025.

Chief victims advisor Ruth Money says it is infuriating Oranga Tamariki isn't sending social workers to critical meetings for keeping abused children from harm.

Edyta Materka fell in love with kororā during a zoo visit, but had no idea she'd be living among them when her family moved to Ōākura.

Every two weeks a bus of pre-schoolers turns up at one Auckland resthome, ready to bring some loneliness-busting laughs for the residents.

The former principal also faces allegations she failed to recognise and manage conflicts of interest.

Between 1100 and 1700 properties might need to be bought to make way for specific public works, land raising or new green spaces.

The man shed tears at times when he appeared in the Wellington District Court for sentencing today.

Pigs, goats, and miniature horses are on the list of animals looking for homes, as well as hundreds of cats and dogs.

NZ companies were not offered the job because the ministry was already working with Learning First, the Education and Workforce Select Committee has heard.

MetService says a front, preceded by a strong northwest flow, is moving over the south of the South Island, heading north over the weekend.

The New Zealand government is being warned that continued political antipathy towards the World Health Organisation risks undermining health outcomes in the Pacific.

Dilane Harding didn't return home from a day of fishing at Paparoa Rock on Thursday.

It is not yet known if anyone has been injured.

The police also told their minister that the search and rescue system was going well and needed no big changes, just two weeks before they agreed to big changes.

Wellington has a new local celebrity cat, his roaming nature attracting hundreds of followers on social media.

The city has been beset by the highly infectious skin disease for about a year.

Dozens of businesses have called for the special meeting to ask the board to explain itself and possibly ask members to stand down.

RNZ has asked the Dubai-based company involved in the proposal for comment.

For the first year, the average water charge for households is estimated to be $2377 per year.

Academics say there's little research into the wellbeing needs of rural and farming women.

The government is introducing legislation to prevent companies from being sued over damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

The government says the $6.9m boost will help more New Zealanders get timely healthcare closer to home.

Ever felt pressured to pick up a nickname because, frankly, it's just easier than people changing your name or leaving bits of it out altogether?

There has been a rise in reports of individuals dressed as monks fundraising aggressively in Auckland and other parts of the country.

Auckland Council is urging people to not engage if they're approached by someone dressed as a monk and aggressively demanding money.

Drug and addiction services frustrated by the easy availability of meth pipes are calling on retailers to pull drug utensils from their shelves - and for the law to be enforced.

Police say they had only moments to act when the vehicle was quickly pulled under water at the local boat ramp on Monday afternoon.

The associate education minister says 36 parents have been liable for prosecution over child truancy.

Earth Sciences NZ's Chris Brandolino said conditions developing in the Pacific had the makings of one of the strongest El Niños on record.