The cost of housing in Auckland is pushing staff in industries to leave the city, while Auckland businesses must be prepared to pay more to keep staff.

Detectives are investigating after a teenage girl was grabbed by a stranger on dark suburban steps in Dunedin.

"He could have killed us," said a Dunedin couple who were woken by the "almighty crash".

Dunedin risks gaining a reputation as a "slum city" if landlords continue to flout Government standards, Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull says.

A top Auckland school is losing three science teachers as houses become an "unrealistic" goal for many in the profession.

A good Samaritan has described the harrowing moments when a pregnant woman jumped from the second storey of a Dunedin flat as it was being engulfed in flames.

A woman jumped from a burning flat in Dunedin earlier today.

Long weekenders rejoice - the sun is set to continue for the majority of the country over Labour Weekend.

Congestion north of Auckland and around Wellington has eased, NZ Transport Agency says.

A frightening direct lightning strike at a Mosgiel retirement village yesterday ''caused havoc with the electrics'' and frightened residents and staff.

Terrified girl cowered in her bedroom as three creepy clowns - one with an axe - roamed outside, threatening to kill her.

A snoozing fur seal has been moved on from a Dunedin cyclepath - again.

While Karin Ann Ross was being beaten to death with a hammer, her final act ensured her killer's guilt was etched into his face for all to see.

A St Clair, Dunedin, mother, driving with her young twins in the rear of her car, smashed into a parked ute after drinking two bottles of wine.

A jury has unanimously found a Dunedin cleaner guilty of beating his boss to death with a hammer.

A High Court jury has retired to consider its verdict in the case of a Dunedin cleaner accused of murdering his supervisor.

The Crown says a Dunedin cleaner beat his boss to death after dragging her out of a vehicle in which she tried to escape.

High temperatures indicate Kiwis could be in for record-breaking highs this summer.

Passengers faced lengthy delays at Dunedin Airport yesterday, after a crack was discovered in the windscreen of a Virgin Australia flight bound for Brisbane.

'Why don't they shoot the bloody thing?' asks angry Oamaru resident.

While being interviewed by police, a 21-year-old cleaner accused of murder stood by previous comments that he did not care the victim was dead.

Cell-tower data presented to a Dunedin court has raised questions over the location of a 21-year-old cleaner accused at the time of an alleged murder.

A new Queenstown house has become a local curiosity.

Re-elected community board member faces assault charge.

A woman is believed to be in a serious condition after a crash near St Leonards this afternoon.

Sales on the first charter flight from Dunedin to see the aurora australis are taking off and the trip's organiser is considering making the flight an annual event.

A man charged with arson after a house fire in the Dunedin suburb of Concord will apply for bail tomorrow.

Police say they have arrested a 55-year-old man and charged him with arson after a house fire last night.

A 21-year-old Dunedin cleaner accused of murdering his boss allegedly told a workmate he wanted to burn the victim's family in front of her.

The race to elect a new mayor for Auckland and other cities and towns round the country is drawing to a close.