A South Island gymnastics coach once described by a young girl he abused as a "grandfather figure" is attempting to have his 15-year prison sentence reduced.
The blaze on Christchurch's Port Hills in February started on private property but investigators have not determined how it started, a new report shows.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says there's no bad blood with the National Party as he leaves the force early to head up the new Social Investment Agency.
The US Justice Department plans to charge the man accused of hiding with a gun at Donald Trump's Florida golf course with attempting to assassinate a major political candidate.
Israel launched airstrikes against more than a thousand Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Monday, killing 492 people and sending tens of thousands fleeing for safety.