Local Council

Drysdale was elected in July as part of the first council to take back democratic control of the city.

After 11 years in local government, while raising four kids as a single dad and co-parenting two, Gisborne's deputy mayor will not be seeking re-election in 2025.

The region has come a long way in the past couple of years, in terms of planning and resources for a major event.

This Kiwi mayor was thrilled when the president-elect won the US elections: "It's great because it's the end of woke."

The installation of a rainbow crossing in Tauranga is bittersweet, the pride advocate who made it happen says.

Vests are Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo's thing, worn 365 days a year. Including under his mayoral robes, to council meetings, official functions and even to the beach.

The Napier Sound Shell toilets custodian takes pride in her work and isn't afraid to laugh about it, especially when the cruise ships are in town.

An alcohol ban will return for the streets of the small town hosting the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, with talks of the ban being made permanent.

Staff at the Rotorua Blue Lake Top 10 holiday park are picking up a bag of garbage from the lakefront every day - and want the bins reinstated.

Angela Dalton said she plans to retire from local politics after five years and serving two terms as Manurewa-Papakura councillor.

"Jeez, where do these people come from?" he said in a video posted on social media.

A Dunedin man with a learning disability is spending Christmas Day cooped up inside a motel, as the date to move back into his flood-damaged house keeps being pushed back. Video

The council is working on a blueprint for the future housing needs of the growing city, which will help guide plans for areas such as Kaiti, Elgin, the city centre, and Awapuni.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Selwyn and Ashburton areas until 5pm.

Ra'iātea, about 230km west of Tahiti, is regarded as a likely starting point for the Polynesian migrations that led to the settlement of Hawaii and Aotearoa.

"This is the best Christmas present Horowhenua could have," mayor Bernie Wanden said.

The log appeared to have been deposited by the river during the flood, and sat on a chain which held the stormwater flap gate open.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom is nursing a broken wrist and a "fat lip" after crashing off a bike at a community event on Sunday.

A group of homeless people the council evicted from a freedom camping spot are settled into a new location - but it is not a permanent solution, the mayor warns. Audio