A backpacker coming home for Christmas had every bit of electronic equipment stripped from him at the airport.

Business owners are being warned to watch out for overseas money laundering scams, which are targeting New Zealand's small businesses.

A woman who imported more than 2kg of party drugs from the UK has been sentenced to 12 months' home detention.

More than 700kg of drugs were mixed with "putrid waste" yesterday before being cooked and disposed of by Customs.

A China importer says Zespri stood to gain more than it did by understating the value of kiwifruit for customs duty purposes.

Student loan holders will pay $11 more a week from today as the Government ramps up its repayment scheme.

A woman has been fined $2750 after trying to bring packets of bird nest into New Zealand.

Euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke says he will make a formal complaint against Customs after being held at Auckland International Airport until 2am yesterday while officials scrutinised his and his wife's luggage.

A High Court order enforcing the exhumation of a Christchurch man's body might be needed to finally return his body to his partner, after it was taken to Bay of Plenty.

Denise Clarke is overwhelmed that the fight to have the body of her partner returned is over after it was taken by his family to be buried with his ancestors.

The family of a man, who was buried in a place against his partner's wishes has lost a five-year legal battle to have his body buried with his ancestors, the Supreme Court has ruled.

From music to fast food, more Kiwis are choosing to shop online. But retailers need to provide good, old-fashioned service, reports Steve Hart

The uncle of a boy shot dead in Samoa has spoken of the family's grief as arrangements are made for the bubbly 5-year-old's funeral.

An English yachtsman was trying to sail across the Tasman "under the radar'' with no documents and on a boat that was not seaworthy when it sank last year, a Coroner has ruled.