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Latest FromCatherine Gaffaney

Teaching children simple tasks like making their own lunches helps prepare them for harder challenges, says a psychologist. Photo / 123RF

Kiwi kids lack basic life skills

26 Jan, 2017 8:27am
3 minutes to read

Many Kiwi kids can use a cellphone and operate a remote - but can't make their own bed, breakfast or lunch, according to a new survey.

An injured woman in Bourke St, Melbourne Photo / Tony Gough, News Ltd

WORLD

'Our hearts are breaking'

21 Jan, 2017 5:00am
5 minutes to read

'We are stronger than this evil criminal act." That was the message delivered to shocked Victorians after a rampage that left four people dead in Melbourne.

A Malaysian tourist battles with her umbrella while on the Mt Vicoria look-out as the storm-front descends on Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Bomb low: Severe gales expected today

19 Jan, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

The summer "bomb low" is expected to continue to bring wild weather to the country today.

NEW ZEALAND

'Bomb low' - Rain, thunder, wind

18 Jan, 2017 6:50pm
4 minutes to read

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are hitting the West Coast in the latest wild weather to hit the country.

Border control at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

The travellers stopped by border control

18 Jan, 2017 9:59am
3 minutes to read

A new report has revealed some of the bizarre reasons travellers have given for visiting New Zealand that didn't fly with border control.

NEW ZEALAND

Troubling teen suicide rate

13 Jan, 2017 5:21am
3 minutes to read

The suicide rate among young Kiwi men aged 20 to 24 in recent years was double the rate of Australian men of the same age group, a study has found.

Kiwi sailor Alan Langdon gives an interview with Australia's ABC News after he was found with his daughter Que in the New South Wales town of Ulladulla. Photo / ABC News

NEW ZEALAND

'Once rudder broke, wind blew us to Oz'

12 Jan, 2017 3:08pm
4 minutes to read

Kiwi yachtie Alan Langdon says Australia was the "best target" after a broken rudder sent his catamaran off course.

The Suisala family, Jess, 26, Ben, 25, and their children, Luca, 2, and Lake, four months. Ben has terminal brain cancer. Photo / Michael Craig

Young dad-of-two given months to live

29 Dec, 2016 6:24pm
3 minutes to read

Early last year, Ben Suisala was fit, healthy and hoping to play professional rugby. Now, the 25-year-old Auckland father-of-two has terminal brain cancer.

Alan Langdon, 49, and his six-year old daughter Que Langdon have not been seen or heard from since December 17. Photo / Facebook

NEW ZEALAND

Sailor's family: 'We are very worried'

28 Dec, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Alan Langdon, 49, and his daughter, Que, 6, haven't been seen or heard from since they sailed from Kawhia Harbour 11 days ago.

NEW ZEALAND

Lost in the mail: NZ Post's $2m bill

27 Dec, 2016 5:00am
4 minutes to read

NZ Post pays out hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash compensation each year to customers whose mail goes missing.

Left, the design Epic Ink says they were asked to follow and, right, the photo Sarah Blackley shared on social media. Photos / Pintrest / Facebook

LIFESTYLE

Woman 'disgusted' by Christchurch tattoo job

22 Dec, 2016 7:47pm
2 minutes to read

A $400 Cinderella and Snow White tattoo which left the recipient "utterly disgusted and embarrassed" was only partially done, according to the tattoo store.

Catherine Harper with husband Paul and son Jackson. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Kiwi mum pins hopes on in-utero surgery

20 Dec, 2016 5:00am
4 minutes to read

A pregnant Auckland woman is set to become the first Kiwi to have in-utero surgery to reduce the severity of spina bifida in her child.

American former professional road racing cyclist Lance Armstrong arrives at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

Drug cheat rider Lance Armstrong in NZ

17 Dec, 2016 7:06pm
3 minutes to read

Lance Armstrong has arrived in New Zealand, touching down in Auckland early this morning.

NEW ZEALAND

Mum: 'She didn't deserve to go like that'

12 Dec, 2016 11:37am
3 minutes to read

The devastated mother of Lois Tolley who was murdered in Upper Hutt says her daughter was a "very caring person who loved life".

Fred Marsters pictured while on a June 2016 fishing trip on the Kaipara Harbour.

NEW ZEALAND

'Everything he did was done with passion'

5 Dec, 2016 1:09pm
3 minutes to read

Fisherman Fred Marsters who died in the Kaipara tragedy has been remembered for his passion, enthusiasm and love for life.

Skipper of the Francie charter boat Bill McNatty. Photo / Facebook

NEW ZEALAND

Earlier Francie trip made 'scary' crossing

27 Nov, 2016 10:00am
3 minutes to read

The boat which is believed to have capsized near the treacherous Kaipara Harbour bar killing at least seven crossed the bar in "scary" conditions the day before.

Mitchell Jason Campbell allegedly broke into a US house by smashing a bedroom window. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

NZ sailor faces Pearl Harbour charges

21 Nov, 2016 11:52am
3 minutes to read

A junior naval sailor allegedly left a trail of blood, his wallet including Navy ID, and a Chicago Bulls hat when he broke into a US Navy house while stationed in Pearl Harbour.

US President-elect Donald Trump attempted to phone John Key yesterday following the earthquake. Photo / AP

Trump attempts to call Key after quake

15 Nov, 2016 7:15am
4 minutes to read

Prime Minister John Key said several world leaders had contacted him about the earthquakes, including an attempt by US President-elect Donald Trump.

Kiwi Ellie Otineru, 22, with her partner, Apii Tauei, 20, who died suddenly in August. Photo / supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Partner dead at 20, now pregnant

6 Nov, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Ellie Otineru learned she was pregnant with her third child two weeks after her partner's sudden death.

Andie Page says images of pets can be printed on to shaped pillows of any size and are proving a hit with online customers since the launch last week. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Unique way to immortalise pets

5 Nov, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Auckland woman Andie Page is designing custom-made pet pillows for animal-loving Kiwis.

Owairoa Primary School's Super Start programme can cost parents up to $100. Photo / Nick Reed

NEW ZEALAND

School charges for pre-schoolers

5 Nov, 2016 5:00am
4 minutes to read

An Auckland primary school is asking parents to fork out up to $100 for a transition-to-school programme for under 5s.

Chris Welch was seriously injured when her van and a car collided on State Highway 2 west of Tauranga. Photo / supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Serious crash: Instructor may lose leg

30 Oct, 2016 5:18pm
3 minutes to read

The Bay of Plenty woman has spent two decades advocating road safety.

NEW ZEALAND

Siblings battle rare disorder together

30 Oct, 2016 7:15am
2 minutes to read

Gendi, an Otago University student whose condition is more advanced than her brother's, is fundraising to go to America to see specialists.

'The weddings that end up in trouble are the ones where people start drinking early.' Photo / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Vows and ows! NZ wedding-day injuries

30 Oct, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Auckland wedding DJ Stephen Buckley said he occasionally saw people hurt themselves on the dance floor, fall off tables or crash into things.

Rotorua mother Ashleigh French, with her daughter Jupiter, is taking up the new trend of knitted/crocheted umbilical cords. Photo/ Ben Fraser

LIFESTYLE

Fashionable cord ties soft on babies

17 Oct, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Kiwi parents are getting behind a growing trend - using colourful knitted or crochet umbilical cord ties instead of medical clamps.

The Heward family from left: Ron, Gerald, Jan, Laura and Mitchell. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Teen's drink death: Parents forgiveness

16 Oct, 2016 6:02pm
3 minutes to read

The mother of a 17-year-old boy who died after drinking heavily says she has no resentment towards his older friend who supplied him alcohol.

Former Rotorua man Steen Locke survived multiple stab wounds that punctured his lung and vertebrae when he was attacked in Melbourne in 2015. Photo via News Corp

NEW ZEALAND

Kiwi stabbed: 'I almost bled to death'

28 Sep, 2016 9:09pm
3 minutes to read

A former Rotorua man has spoken about surviving a random attack in Melbourne in which he was stabbed six times by his attacker.

Losi Filipo (right) ended his contract with Wellington Lions under mounting public pressure. Photo / Getty Images

NEW ZEALAND

Rugby player Losi Filipo quits squad

28 Sep, 2016 6:22am
3 minutes to read

The rugby star who was discharged without conviction for assaulting four people is "hugely apologetic".

Wellington rugby player Losi Filipo, right, was discharged without conviction. Photo / Getty Images

SPORT

PM weighs in on rugby player case

27 Sep, 2016 12:21pm
7 minutes to read

News of rugby player Losi Filipo being discharged without conviction for the assault of four people has left victims horrified.

Belinda Williams and Stephen Phillips picture supplied credit: CHANNEL 7 NEWS

NEW ZEALAND

Crash victim 'an example to most parents'

21 Sep, 2016 5:46am
3 minutes to read

A victim of the horrific crash at Huntly and his Kiwi partner who survived the crash were "an example to most parents", their neighbour says.

Stephen Phillips played violin for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Photo / News Limited

NEW ZEALAND

Top violinist mourned

20 Sep, 2016 11:31am
2 minutes to read

A victim of the horrific crash at Huntly was First Violinist with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.

Parents should help children with simple activities and, in doing so, have lots of conversational exchanges. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

New entrants struggling to speak

15 Sep, 2016 6:21am
5 minutes to read

EXCLUSIVE: Some children are starting school without the ability to speak in sentences, sparking a government investigation.

There are more than 50 changes of family violence law. File Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Praise for family violence law revamp

14 Sep, 2016 5:00am
4 minutes to read

An overhaul of family violence law which includes flagging all offences on criminal records and making victim safety the priority has been applauded.

An error with MasterCard's system saw some customers being charged more than once for purchases. The company say they are processing refunds. Photo / Getty

NEW ZEALAND

Glitch leaves customers without cash

13 Sep, 2016 8:08pm
2 minutes to read

MasterCard refuses to say how many people were affected by the error, which resulted in some customers being charged more than once for a single purchase.

LIFESTYLE

Why you should meditate before eating

11 Sep, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Holland did a four-week introduction to mindful eating course run by Mindfulness Works.

Mother said she had no idea how affected her daughter was by a classmate's taunts until it was almost too late. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

'My 12-year-old tried to end her life'

7 Sep, 2016 11:40am
3 minutes to read

Kiwi mum said she had no idea how affected her daughter was by a classmate's taunts until it was almost too late.

Kelston Girls' College First XI football players Marie Poleka, 16, (left) and Blessing Tioa, 15, are gutted about $300 of firewood they'd hope to sell for a fundraiser was stolen. Photo / supplied

NEW ZEALAND

'We're all absolutely disheartened'

2 Sep, 2016 10:20am
2 minutes to read

About $300 of firewood a Decile 2 Auckland school football team had planned to sell to pay for tournament fees has been stolen from the school's grounds.

Olympic bronze medalist Eliza McCartney and her coach Jeremy McColl walking through Belmont Intermediate School hall. Photo / Jason Oxenham

SPORT

Watch: Eliza surprises kids at school

30 Aug, 2016 7:55am
4 minutes to read

NZH Focus: Pupil: "We measured how high she jumped - it was about three people, which must've been pretty scary to jump over."

Czech tourist Pavlina Pizova spoke about her ordeal through tears. Photo / James Allan

Partner's death not first loss for Czech

27 Aug, 2016 10:51am
3 minutes to read

The Czech tourist who watched her partner fall to his death on the Routeburn Track has been touched by tragedy in the mountains before.

David Rankin launched his campaign in Glendene yesterday with support from former National Party leader Dr Don Brash (pictured). Photo / Richard Robinson

NEW ZEALAND

Sword-wielding man: so what happened?

23 Aug, 2016 8:45am
5 minutes to read

David Rankin's version of events that he and Don Brash were threatened differs from TVNZ's head of news.

Ishmael Musa spends time everyday picking up rubbish and keeping an eye on the goings on in his Mt Albert community. Photo / Jason Oxenham

NEW ZEALAND

The man who cleans Auckland streets

22 Aug, 2016 5:42pm
2 minutes to read

Auckland man Ishmael Musa has been acknowledged for spending more than a decade voluntarily cleaning the streets in his local community.

The APC, Auckland Pistol Club, in Brookby. Photo / Michael Craig

NEW ZEALAND

Pistol Club fears closure after noise complaints

21 Aug, 2016 3:46pm
3 minutes to read

The Auckland Pistol Club fears it could face closure after a new neighbour made numerous noise complaints about the sound of firing weapons.

Kiwi kids and teens sought help from mental health services more than 560,000 times in the past year.

NEW ZEALAND

Young Kiwis seek mental health help

17 Aug, 2016 3:47pm
3 minutes to read

The Mental Health Foundation believes there is an "urgent need" to investigate why a significant number of young people aren't coping.

SPORT

Kiwi 'very genuine' and 'gracious'

17 Aug, 2016 3:20pm
3 minutes to read

WATCH: New Zealand distance runner Nikki Hamblin's show of sportsmanship at the Olympics overnight was of no surprise to those who know her.

A recidivist sex offender has been jailed for six years for 10 counts of sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl he met through Tinder. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Recidivist sex offender jailed

9 Aug, 2016 12:32pm
2 minutes to read

A recidivist sex offender has been jailed for six years for 10 counts of sexual conduct with a 15-year-old girl he met through Tinder.

Rotorua teenager Moana Matthews killed in a crash following a police pursuit. Photo / Facebook

NEW ZEALAND

Teen's big dreams, tragic death

8 Aug, 2016 11:01am
4 minutes to read

Rotorua teen Moana Matthews, 17, was an "amazing young girl" who had hoped to travel the world.

Snow blankets the Taupo-Napier Rd after a fierce winter swept the country. Photo / Paul Taylor

NEW ZEALAND

Polar blast leaves winter coat

7 Aug, 2016 3:43pm
3 minutes to read

New Zealand last night hunkered down for the big chill - with rugby fans battling sub-zero temperatures at the Super Rugby final.

A scene from Cleverman shows the lengths Weta Workshops staff went to.

ENTERTAINMENT

Weta's hair-raising task

7 Aug, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Knotting human and yak hair with a tiny crochet needle through holes almost invisible to the naked eye might sound like an odd job description.

SPORT

Calls to escalate Chiefs investigation

6 Aug, 2016 8:58am
5 minutes to read

The Chiefs have called upon NZ Rugby to escalate the investigation into the team's stripper scandal after allegations a second stripper was mistreated by players.

Becky Darroch (left) and Declan Lavery, whose mums Andrea Darroch and Annette O'Brien have organised more RPM workshops. Photo / Dean Purcell

NEW ZEALAND

Autism learning tool thrills parents

6 Aug, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Thanks to a learning technique, 10-year-old autistic Becky can communicate her understanding of multiple subjects aimed at her age level.

ENTERTAINMENT

When Hollywood came to town

6 Aug, 2016 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Robert Redford says Tapanui taught him that New Zealand is a country with "a smile on its face".

NEW ZEALAND

Heartbroken parents: 'Who killed our girl'

31 Jul, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Parents of a 14-year-old girl killed in a hit and run have spoken of their anguish that no one has been held accountable for their daughter's death.

NEW ZEALAND

'I didn't think about my own safety'

24 Jul, 2016 4:19pm
3 minutes to read

A Maori warden who risked his own safety to assist a man who was shot at an Auckland train station credits a first aid course he did the day before the incident.

Maaka Pohatu says depression can affect anyone and is common among creative people. Photo / Nick Reed

ENTERTAINMENT

Poi E star reveals depression battle

24 Jul, 2016 3:26pm
3 minutes to read

After his father's death in 2004, Poi E star Maaka Pohatu often felt down, struggled to sleep and overanalysed the smallest of interactions.

Alaska, up for adoption by the SPCA. Photo / SPCA

LIFESTYLE

Half-price puppies need loving homes

17 Jul, 2016 9:30am
Quick Read

Thinking about getting a new family pet? Auckland SPCA is offering 50 dogs and puppies for adoption at half their normal price for the next two weeks.

Sam Olley, 21, and her grandfather, Bill Macalister, 82. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Sam and Bill's amazing adventure

16 Jul, 2016 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Sam Olley, 21, didn't hesitate when her "young-at-heart" grandfather invited her on the Southeast Asia trip he'd hoped to share with his late wife.

Conspiracy theorist David Icke is coming to Auckland for a one-off show next month.

NEW ZEALAND

The man who said NZ would disappear

12 Jul, 2016 12:56pm
3 minutes to read

Conspiracy theorist David Icke is visiting Auckland for a one-off show.

Lotto television host Sonia Gray selling tickets for last night’s draw. Photo / Cherie Howie

NEW ZEALAND

Lotto millions remain unclaimed

10 Jul, 2016 10:43am
3 minutes to read

Three Kiwis who are $13.3 million richer this morning have yet to come forward to claim their prize.

Slow drivers were not a risk in themselves, but contributed to risks on the road. Photo / iStock

NEW ZEALAND

Slow drivers cruising for tickets

10 Jul, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Heading out on a Sunday cruise? Beware: police are increasingly ticketing slow and inconsiderate drivers.

Rania Alani fought for the sky tower's show of compassion for the Iraqi victims. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

Sky Tower's Iraqi lights 'show compassion'

9 Jul, 2016 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Why Rania believed there should've been no excuses for the Sky Tower to be lit in the colours of the Iraqi flag to support the Baghdad bombing victims.

NEW ZEALAND

Big Sleepout participants deal with night of extreme weather

8 Jul, 2016 8:49am
2 minutes to read

Participants in Lifewise's annual Big Sleepout, which raises awareness and money for homelessness, battled a night of extreme weather.

Hannah Strickett has been remembered as an

NEW ZEALAND

Young mum had 'heart of gold'

26 Jun, 2016 5:00am
5 minutes to read

The families of the four young people who died in a horror crash near Hamilton are beginning to pay tribute to their loved ones.