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

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 man has been found dead in a spa pool at a motel in Central Otago tonight. However, drowning may not have been the cause of death

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.

First it was creepy clowns, now people dressed as monkeys are terrorising people.

The standard Kiwi home is earning more than the average worker makes from their job in seven of the country's 12 districts.

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

Dunedin schools have been left frustrated they were in the dark about the release of a child sex offender in the area.

Kiwi man Duane Trafford has posted a blunt assessment of what he needs from his new staff.

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

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.

A 13-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever has clocked up a whopping 700,000km over the years.

The Otago Regional Councillor who lost his seat to Michael Laws by five votes is seeking a recount.

Sparks were flying off a freight train moments before a wagon derailed, partially blocking SH1 in Clinton, a witness says.

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

Former Whanganui mayor Michael Laws has won a seat Otago Regional Council by five votes.

A Dunedin man who streaked at an All Black game and "mounted a goal post" is hoping to dodge a conviction for his nude dash.

WATCH: The Station building was hauled 400m by crane and truck from a private Lauder property and placed beside the Otago Central Rail Trail.

The house has about 10 rooms and residents were told by police to come down to the front yard.

Queenstown novice Dan Ahwa experiences the resort town's extreme, adrenaline-fuelled activities for the first time.

Massey University released its quarterly Home Affordability Report index today.

The mother of missing South Island teen Yuri Santana says her heart is "bleeding" for the 17-year-old.

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.

Otago's dreamland is best seen without the summer crowds, writes Mike Yardley.

Police executing a search warrant this morning discovered more than 40 cannabis plants and a large amount of methamphetamine items.