A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.

Missing teenager Alex Petersen has been found safe and well in Blenheim. The 14-year-old had been missing for a week after last being

The parents of a Blenheim teenager who has been missing for a week are desperate to bring their son home safely.

Don't let the morning cloud fool you - it is set to be a fine Boxing Day for New Zealanders, with Central Otago tipped as the best place to be.

What will start out as a cloudy morning for most of the country should clear as the Christmas day wears on, but the odd shower is in store too.

The best spots for enjoying a Christmas hamper outdoors will be in the Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Central Otago tomorrow.

Top-up a short-term measure, ministry says

Wet weather today will clear throughout the country making way for a mainly fine Christmas weekend.

A personal emergency locator beacon has been activated near Angelus Hut between Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa.

While most of the country is awash with the Christmas spirit, it appears Nelson forgot about the festivities.

A German tourist received nasty bites when he crossed paths with a "grumpy seal" at Abel Tasman National Park.

Police are seeking two men after one cut a teenage boy's arm with a knife.

A Dutch rock climber was injured after falling 14m at a popular climbing spot in the South Island this afternoon.

Six fire crews are battling a "well involved" Nelson house fire and searching the property to see if anyone is inside.

Wellingtonians and people living on the top of the South Island were shaken awake as a strong quake rattled the centre of the country.

Judges orders boss to pay $12,000 to worker seriously injured when fuel tank exploded.

Police are calling for witnesses to two attempted assaults on the same woman in Nelson last night.

New Zealand is in for a relatively dry day today with areas of morning cloud and isolated showers in the north, clearing around midday and becoming mostly sunny.

A number of schools have been closed due to flooding, affecting some students due to sit exams after afternoon.

Thieves stole a number of firearms from a South Island house while the occupants were evacuated due to yesterday's tsunami warning.

Newly-weds have a rocky start to their married life.

Most schools will open tomorrow, following hundreds of closures after the quake.

Primary responsibility for civil defence emergency management at a local level rests with your local council.

It's beginning to feel like summer in some parts of the country, with pohutukawa bursting into bloom. "People have been getting a

Lotto players in Auckland, Paraparaumu, Nelson and Dunedin got a pleasant surprise tonight.

District health boards report bad stuff that happens to patients

A man has died and another has been seriously injured after the motorcycle they were on crashed into a tree today.

Police are looking for a mustachioed man who was caught on CCTV robbing a service station in Nelson. The Z service station on Halifax

A Kiwi flight attendant has been injured after a severe bout of turbulence on an Air New Zealand plane.

A dog attacked Gordon Jenkins' wife. He responded by stabbing it 43 times in the neck.