Henry Parker's late try helped Taieri retain its unbeaten record when it beat Alhambra-Union 26-25 in a top-of-the-table clash in Dunedin premier club rugby on Saturday.

The Tourism Industry Association is calling for the Queenstown Lakes District Council to reconsider its plans to impose a targeted visitor rate, which would "unfairly penalise the commercial accommodation sector" with some large hotels likely to pay $25,000 a year more in rates.

Investors in the failed Dunedin-based Victoria Property Fund are raising questions about its performance in recent years and the fee structure applied by manager Britannia Management Ltd since the fund's inception in 2006.

A post-mortem on the body of veteran journalist Derek Round has revealed he suffered a "horrific attack'' in the living room of his home.

Front-line police officers are going to be put under immense pressure a result of this year's Budget, which will slash police funding by around $120 million, the Labour Party says.

A strong earthquake has rocked a large swathe of northern Italy early, causing at least three deaths and bringing about the collapse of rural factories and ancient bell towers in towns.

If there was a more virulent variety of rabbit haemorrhagic disease in Australia that could be useful in New Zealand, then the Government would not say it could not be introduced.

The respite from the rough weather looks to be a short one for the South, as strong winds and snow are due to pound the region.

For a company that is dramatically upending business strategies and social relationships around the world, Facebook Inc made a surprisingly modest debut on the Nasdaq on Friday as a sky-high valuation and trading glitches capped the stock's rise.

A man is dead and a woman has been left with critical injuries following a double stabbing in western Sydney.