Wellington Region

Cats living in Lower Hutt must now be desexed and microchipped under a new bylaw.

The building has been reduced to its frame, a witness says, as crews battle the third fire in the Kāpiti town this past week.

Both the accused, including their mother, were granted name suppression to protect the children's identities.

Responsibility for the RiverLink project is being broken up in a move officials say is in the best interest of ratepayers.

An official says the closures are necessary to ensure a more resilient network system.

The community-scale farms will produce 18 megawatts of energy, enough to power nearly 4000 homes.

The man and woman in their 20s are facing a raft of charges, and will appear in court today.

Extremely dry conditions affecting North Island farms are not expected to improve in the short-term, the Minister of Agriculture says.

The cold snap has brought the first snow of the year to Otago's Cardrona ski field. Audio

Lower Hutt residents will be able to have their say on Hutt City Council's long-term plan from next Tuesday.

Fire doors were not up to scratch, smoke detectors didn't work, and alarms weren't monitored, an investigation spurred by the Loafers Lodge blaze has found.

A Porirua high school has raised more than $72,000 towards a trip to Europe - the first time the school has ever planned a trip to the continent.

Precious possessions belonging to former residents of Wellington's Loafers Lodge have been recovered and returned to their owners.

Metlink has confirmed fares for people aged under 25 will return to full price in the Wellington region.

In the meantime Te Whatu Ora was looking at other options including a carpooling app, and working with councils on "alternative parking arrangements".

Smoke could be seen from several kilometres away.

Oranga Tamariki will not say how long it has been involved with the family of two young siblings thought to have been deliberately injured in Lower Hutt.

Firefighters have successfully extinguished a large blaze at a rural workshop in Ōtaki, north of Wellington.

The toddler's uncle told RNZ police had been in touch on Friday for the first time since January, on the five-month anniversary of his death.

The injuries are believed to have been inflicted deliberately over "a long period of time".