The All Blacks selectors will seriously consider ditching a backup hooker and halfback from their year-end tour squad to make room for more rugby World Cup fringe contenders.

Hundreds of North Island homes have been hit by power cuts as high winds continue to lash regions still reeling from the weekend's storm.

No less than 18 All Blacks are about to start filtering back into the national provincial championship.

New Zealand's analogue television service will be switched off progressively nationwide between September 2012 and late 2013, the Government said today.

Standing on snakes and having trees fall on him are all in a day's work for the archaeologist who's been called Auckland's Indiana Jones.

The town's business association baked the world's largest scone, weighing in at just over 120kg, the previous record was 60kg.