Wellington Region

The items are being examined forensically, but police would not comment on what they are.

New information has been recovered that police hope could help them pinpoint the killer of Baby Ru, who died a year ago.

The maritime watchdog says fuel supplied to a Bluebridge ferry that lost power met all regulatory standards despite the company's claims it was contaminated.

Gale force winds in Wellington over the past 24 hours have also seen dozens of flights cancelled and roofs taken off some properties.

Wellington's Golden Mile has done it tough this year, with grim financial times leading to the closure of about 50 stores, but some businesses are staying the course and even expanding. Audio

Deodorisers installed to manage the stench are "the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff," a councillor says. Audio

Signing contracts for major capital works is on hold while the council figures out how to adapt its 10-year budget.

The finance minister has implored public servants to bring new ideas to the table, while acknowledging she was "asking a lot" at an "unsettling" time.

Hutt Valley High School has told parents someone is manipulating teenagers into sending explicit images and then blackmailing them.

Rosie Morunga is one of three people of interest in the homicide investigation, including partner Dylan Ross, and Baby Ru's mother, Storm Wall.

Simeon Brown has set a "deeply worrying" low bar with his stated reasons for stepping in, a professor says. Audio

Lower Hutt's mayor says most metropolitan councils will soon face the same problem Wellington does on funding water infrastructure. Audio

A link road on the major Wellington highway is being closed - just two years after it was opened.

Porirua City Council says the road will be closed for up to five months.

Tory Whanau says her council will work collaboratively with the government, after its decision to appoint a Crown Observer.

The building is among a host of courts nationwide that need expensive work done to make them safe or suitable to use.

No-one has yet been charged over the brutal attack that fractured the toddler's tiny skull.

Four of the White Ferns squad are all former Tawa College students, and there were bleary and teary eyes at the Wellington school this morning as the team took out the T20 Cricket World Cup for the…