Police have made an arrest after a woman was found dead at a property in Tūrangi in the central North Island on Friday.

Firefighters have been called to Christchurch Airport after a cargo plane on the tarmac began billowing smoke from its undercarriage.

A senior police officer who admitted to beating his children with a belt is the subject of another "employment process," police have confirmed.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has down-played a pause of nearly $20 million in funding to the Cook Islands during his second day of his trip to China.

A brazen shoplifter embarked on a lengthy crime spree that involved her carrying a small child while stealing clothing, threatening to stab those who tried to stop her, and striking a worker.

The husband of a former Oranga Tamariki employee who helped his wife defraud the agency of more than $2 million has been sentenced to 12 months' home detention.

A man has been arrested following a four-hour stand-off in the Auckland suburb of Mt Roskill.