A man who met a young overseas teen on social media sent her nudes of himself and encouraged her to do the same before launching a cruel campaign of manipulation when she cut contact with him.

Fire crews south of Ashburton have been battling a large rural fire burning through around 14,000 hay bales since late on Wednesday night.

The head of Parliament's powerful Privileges Committee says the decision to impose an unprecedented punishment on Te Pāti Māori MPs over a protest haka in Parliament was not taken lightly.