Stories by Katie Todd

About 80 percent of the world's penguin researchers are in Dunedin for the tenth International Penguin Conference, starting today.

Helen Clark told hundreds of people in Christchurch last night New Zealand's long-haul tourism would need strong climate strategy to appeal to climate-conscious tourists.

The solution to kauri dieback could be hiding in compounds from other native plants.

A Christchurch woman is hoping for a "huge shake-up" to Corrections' letter-checking system, after receiving more than 30 abusive, threatening and suicidal letters from a family member in prison.

As Corrections' letter-sending regulations come under scrutiny, lawyers warn it will be difficult to completely stop correspondence from prisoners with extremist views.

Westland District Council could be lumped with a $2.8 million bill and "significant consent applications" to fully protect the Fox River from future rubbish spills.

Environmental activists put their bodies on the railway line in Christchurch today, blocking tracks to highlight the impact of coal on the climate.

Picturesque Arrowtown grapples with some of the worst air quality in Australasia - compared by some locals to Industrial Revolution Britain.

The case of a Canterbury man's tiny home will be a 'landmark' for the future of the structures in New Zealand, a manufacturer says.

Veteran activist John Minto has announced his second bid for Christchurch mayoralty. In 2016, he lost to Lianne Dalziel by about 60,000 votes.

New Zealanders embarking on tropical holidays to 'fight the bite' are being warned to take precautions amid outbreaks of mosquito-borne dengue fever in Bangladesh and Philippines.

More than $178,000 has been fundraised to establish Queenstown's first mosque.

Volunteers who have done most of the clean-up work on the Fox River to date say they wouldn't still be there, let alone racing against the clock, if the government had acted sooner.

Today is one of the biggest days yet for the Westland clean-up job dubbed Operation Fox.

The country's largest gun retailer is about to open a new mega store in Christchurch - angering some residents living close by who don't want the big, blue building in their midst.

Protesters are taking to the streets over Oranga Tamariki's practices - and are planning to do so almost daily.

A tourist who killed three people and injured four when he crashed his rental car near Tekapo has been ordered to pay $23,000 to his victims.

Just two weeks before the mosque attacks in Christchurch, the city welcomed its first contingent of refugees since the 2010 earthquake.

Two men convicted of the murder of Christchurch man Bradley Lomax in September 2017 will be in prison until at least late 2035.

First Person - The man charged with the Christchurch mosque attacks pleaded not guilty today. RNZ's Katie Todd was outside the court with victim's families and survivors. Video

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged with disorderly behaviour after a scuffle outside Christchurch's Justice Precinct this morning.

While Auckland City Council has become the latest to declare a climate emergency, four councils who have already made similar declarations are grappling with how to turn words into action.

Ten weeks on and with no funding coming in, a handful of volunteers still fill up to 40 rubbish sacks a day with waste, and are calling for government or an organation to help.

The 177-gram nugget Craig Douglas found could have fetched $25,000 as a display piece - but he almost ignored it.

Thousands of rogue rabbits are driving golfers hopping mad in a small, central Otago town.