MP fought off challenge to gain reselection and contest the Clutha-Southland seat.

Christmas Day should be fine but be ready for thunderstorms in the coming days.

The owner of the mysterious object found washed up on a Southland beach has come forward.

There was a record downpour in Auckland, a tornado in Taranaki and "quake lights" above Wellington. Oh, and 2016 was likely also New Zealand's hottest year on record.

Overseas associates of missing man John Beckenridge, who abducted his 11-year-old stepson last year, are working with New Zealand police to track the pair down.

If variety is the spice of life, this week is set to be a lively one.

It's going to be a sunny one this weekend for most of the country.

Three boys were playing in the school grounds when they were approached by an unknown man.

The day after his Christmas party, driver was still three times over the drink-drive limit.

COMMENT: We've recently been supported by a Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund grant for a project called: What is the Southland accent?

15 year old Palmerston North girl, Sarah Ridsdale wins her first film award. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

One person has died and another has been airlifted to hospital with critical injuries.

At least two more schools have been investigated after complaints about seclusion rooms - including one that was eventually closed.

Clinton Highway in the Clutha District is closed as a result of the crash.

A photo of two "hot" Southern District police officers posing with puppies has garnered hundreds of likes on Facebook.

Police believed someone damaged the windows between 5pm and 8pm and were appealing for help from the community.

Gore's art gallery is the magnet, but other delights abound too, writes Eleanor Ainge Roy.

Government's plan to sell hundreds of state houses to NGOs has hit another hurdle.

A teen who killed a man with one punch unsuccessfully attempted to have his sentence of two years' in prison lessened. But the Court

Scientists investigating the mechanics of the earthquake say it faulted in the same way the February 22, 2011, Christchurch Earthquake did.

The United States and Canada were New Zealand's biggest foreign investors over the last three years.

Thirty patients suffered partial sight loss because of eye clinic delays at two hospitals

Young people living in regional New Zealand have a better chance of owning their own home, according to new figures.

One person was transported to hospital after an Invercargill house was engulfed by fire this evening.

Officials are yet to release the final road statistics for the weekend, but as the holiday period came to a close at 6am this morning the toll stood at three.

One person has died in a crash near Wallacetown in Southland.

The standard Kiwi home is earning more than the average worker makes from their job in seven of the country's 12 districts.

The Otago Regional Councillor who lost his seat to Michael Laws by five votes is seeking a recount.

A cyclist has been taken to hospital in a serious condition following a crash in Invercargill early this evening. The cyclist - whose

Derek Cheng basks in a panoramic view that few have experienced.