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Leading Headlines

The scene in Takapuna after last night's storm. Photo / Supplied

Updated 6 min ago

Wild weather hits North

Heavy rain has caused flooding around Wellington city this morning, with manhole covers reportedly being blown out on some roads.

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Government deficit smaller than forecast

Delays to Treaty of Waitangi settlement costs and New Zealand's aid programme have been offset by higher than expected costs from rebuilding Canterbury's infrastructure. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The government kept a smaller operating deficit than forecast in the first nine months of the financial year, even as the cost of the Canterbury earthquakes grew.

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Home buyers warned: Test for P

MethSolutions director Miles Stratford said half the homes his company have tested since September have come back positive for contamination. Photo / APN

Before buying their new home, an Auckland couple specifically asked their real estate agent if it had been a P lab. Five days after they moved in, it tested positive…

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Updated 1 hour ago

Bride-to-be among limo fire dead

San Mateo County firefighters and California Highway Patrol personnel investigate the scene of a limousine fire on the westbound side of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. Photo / AP

A stretch limousine taking nine women to a bachelorette party erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers - including the bride-to-be.

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Updated 45 min ago

Families want action after crash tragedy

None of the passengers were restrained, which probably resulted in "load-shift" as passengers slid to the rear of the aircraft during the ascent, throwing it off its centre of gravity. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Families of the four tourists killed in the Fox Glacier plane crash have written to John Key urging him to take action to make New Zealand "a safe place to visit".

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Beyer: 'Illness won't bring me down'

Georgina Beyer faces a transplant or dialysis four times a day. Photo / APN

Former MP Georgina Beyer says she is struggling to accept she has chronic kidney failure - but she is vowing not to let the disease bring her down completely.

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Row erupts over schoolboy rugby star

Samiuela Ulufonua will represent New Zealand in Ukraine. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A row has erupted between an athletic coach and a top school over a star athlete who was allowed to play in a rugby match only weeks before a world athletic championship…

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Expats in Oz call for citizen rights

Federal laws outlaw discrimination against people living in Sydney and elsewhere in Australia based on their country of birth but allow it based on their nationality. Photo / Thinkstock

A national campaign is being prepared in Australia to challenge the exclusion of expatriate New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders from welfare and other Government assistance…

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Governments can unravel from bottom

The public can only wonder how somebody like Aaron Gilmore can get into Parliament. Photo / Supplied

"Dickhead" is one of the words National MP Aaron Gilmore was said to have directed at a restaurant waiter - but it's a word he out to avoid.

NZ claim sevens title despite defeat

Sherwin Stowers is tackled by Cornal Hendricks of South Africa. Photo /Getty Images

The New Zealand sevens side have claimed the IRB sevens series title for the 11th time despite losing the final at the Glasgow Sevens overnight.

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'Gobsmacked' as driver wins tow fee

Photo / NZ Herald Photo / File photo/Thinkstock

A driver who successfully disputed a $250 tow-away fee claims the case could set a precedent for other car owners at the mercy of towing companies.

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Fox Glacier crash report

Tourists' plane doomed at take-off

A skydiving plane carrying nine people was over the allowable weight limit and unbalanced when it plummeted to the ground and burst into flames, the Coroner says.

Ex-partner says pilot too good for error

The former partner of Chami Senadhira has rejected the coroner's finding that a pilot-related factor may have been a cause of the crash which claimed nine lives.

Opinion

Zoo happiest home for this elephant

Captive elephants are safer than in the wild, and in the best zoos they receive care that keeps them in peak physical and mental condition. Photo / Janna Dixon

Pressure should be put on any zoo not up to standard, but a zoo like Auckland's needs to be acknowledged for its great work with Burma, writes Shar Carlin.

Sam Judd: Genetic modification to the rescue?

Researchers have genetically modified one of the most common bacteria on earth to create a synthetic biofuel. Photo / Thinkstock

Sam Judd takes a look at the good side of genetic modification and how breakthroughs in a highly-criticised area of science could help the environment.

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