Christmas has arrived early at Parliament, with a posse of 20 Santas bringing their own southern wish list to the capital.

Pilot whales that stranded at Farewell Spit at the top of the South Island have been refloated on the high tide.

At least nine people have killed from Israeli strikes on two southern Lebanese towns, as the Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon.

Wherever you buy your Christmas tree this year, you might notice it is a little dearer than 12 months ago.

The Defence Force's operating deficit is in danger of hitting $360 million next year, putting more jobs at risk.

Letters sent to IT employees at Te Whatu Ora Waikato, outlining a proposed restructure and possible disestablishment of their jobs, included the wrong job titles.

Vanuatu has urged the top UN court to recognise the harm caused by climate change in its judgment on the legal obligation of countries to address consequences of them contributing to global warming.