Local Council

Vests are Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo's thing, worn 365 days a year. Including under his mayoral robes, to council meetings, official functions and even to the beach.

The Napier Sound Shell toilets custodian takes pride in her work and isn't afraid to laugh about it, especially when the cruise ships are in town.

An alcohol ban will return for the streets of the small town hosting the Marlborough Wine & Food Festival, with talks of the ban being made permanent.

Staff at the Rotorua Blue Lake Top 10 holiday park are picking up a bag of garbage from the lakefront every day - and want the bins reinstated.

Angela Dalton said she plans to retire from local politics after five years and serving two terms as Manurewa-Papakura councillor.

"Jeez, where do these people come from?" he said in a video posted on social media.

A Dunedin man with a learning disability is spending Christmas Day cooped up inside a motel, as the date to move back into his flood-damaged house keeps being pushed back. Video

The council is working on a blueprint for the future housing needs of the growing city, which will help guide plans for areas such as Kaiti, Elgin, the city centre, and Awapuni.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for the Selwyn and Ashburton areas until 5pm.

Ra'iātea, about 230km west of Tahiti, is regarded as a likely starting point for the Polynesian migrations that led to the settlement of Hawaii and Aotearoa.

"This is the best Christmas present Horowhenua could have," mayor Bernie Wanden said.

The log appeared to have been deposited by the river during the flood, and sat on a chain which held the stormwater flap gate open.

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom is nursing a broken wrist and a "fat lip" after crashing off a bike at a community event on Sunday.

A group of homeless people the council evicted from a freedom camping spot are settled into a new location - but it is not a permanent solution, the mayor warns. Audio

A southern council says it needs to "draw the line" with a community over its old dumpsite.

The Christmas street lights will shine for the last time this year as decorations are deteriorating and won't be replaced because council want to keep the next rate increase low.

Former Labour MP and mayor of Auckland's North Shore City Ann Hartley has died.

What was going to go there and why didn't it? Local Democracy reporter Linda Hall takes a look.