National

Fire and Emergency say crews were forced to rely on tanker water to put out a devastating and dramatic blaze at a country pub and hotel in South Taranaki.

Auckland has been hit by more severe storms this afternoon, and there is now a slew of weather warnings in place for the top half of the South Island.

There are calls for greater transparency about what a NZ warship was doing before it sank in Samoa - including whether it was performing specific security for British royalty.

Gardens are being dug up and buildings washed in the Wellington suburb of Newtown.

A Christchurch restaurant owner who sold toxic food to customers and directed the recalled product to be eaten by her staff has received a reduced sentence.

Tens of thousands of people could be in line for compensation from KiwiRail.