Bay of Plenty's civil defence leaders have done a U-turn on tsunami warning sirens after Tauranga threatened to go it alone to protect its 51,000 vulnerable coastal residents.

Sydney Morning Herald

Rugby: Three-match Bledisloe Cup to be introduced next year New Zealand Herald The additional and possibly deciding match will be hosted alternately between Australia and New Zealand, the New Zealand and Australian Rugby Unions announced today. The first additional match will be hosted by the Australian Rugby Union in October ... ARU ANNOUNCES ANNUAL THREE-TEST BLEDISLOE CUP SERIESARU Rugby Bledisloe Cup beefed upsportal.co.nz Bledisloe Cup back to three gamesABC Online Radio New Zealand -3News NZ all 61 news articles »

Otago Daily Times

Paddon dominates day one of Rally New Zealand RallyBuzz Hayden Paddon demonstrated his considerable talent behind the wheel of a rally car during day one of Rally New Zealand 2011, establishing a convincing margin of 2 minutes, 17.3 seconds over Richard Mason and a close-chasing pack. ... Motorsport: Paddon builds convincing leadNew Zealand Herald Jagger aiming to pick up paceNorthern Advocate all 12 news articles »

We headed up to Milford Sound in a hurry did not want to miss out on a good day rest of the week is rainy it39s is just an amazing place word39s and pictures cannot describe the place hopefully these pictures can give you a glimpse of what we saw....

New Zealand Day 6Aahhh a day of relaxation after the big drive in here yesterday guess what no rain this morning Hows that So after checking the weather report they had forecast rain for this afternoon so I decided I had better do my sky gondola ride this morning whilst there was less chance of cloud cover. Raymond decided he would stay home 2

Sadly the Dom Post politics quiz seems to have died, but the NZ Herald now has one. It seems to be tougher – only got 6/10. Tags: NZ Herald, NZ Politics

Media giant Fairfax will meet with staff over the next few days to negotiate a proposal to outsource sub-editing at its Australian newspapers.

The Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros has died after a deterioration in his condition, having undergone treatment for a brain tumour in 2008. Ballesteros, who was 54, was a five-times major...

Dozens of demonstrators are said to be protesting against deep sea oil exploration, outside a National Party regional conference.

The Labour Party has selected criminal barrister Peter Foster to stand as its candidate for the Otaki electorate in this year's general election.

Muammar Gaddafi's regime has reacted angrily to a decision by world powers to provide funding to rebels fighting to overthrow his rule in Libya, saying plans to tap assets frozen abroad were "piracy"

Palmerston North police officer has been found after going missing in the Tararua Forest Park in the North Island

Labour names Otaki candidate as 46-year-old defence lawyer Peter Foster of Waikanae- believes he can win

Missing Palmerston North police officer and his dog are winched from bush country in the Tararua Range

LA Lakers coach Phil Jackson is refusing to contemplate a premature end to his illustrious NBA career

Seven-time defending world champion Sebastien Loeb led after the opening day of the Sardinia motor rally.

American Pat Perez birdied the last two holes of the treacherous 'Green Mile' finish for a seven-under-par 65 and a two-stroke lead at the halfway point of the Quail Hollow Championship today.

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has been given a five-match touchline ban in European competition for his sending off and verbal outburst at the Champions League semifinal first leg against Barcelona, UEFA said today.

Thomas Aiken took a one-shot lead at a somber second round of the Spanish Open that was marked by news of golf great Seve Ballesteros' worsening health today.

A 91-year-old special forces veteran has been told he has to stop carrying out solo night patrols on the streets of Waipawa.

US investment king Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has reported a sharp plunge in first-quarter earnings, hit heavily by insurance losses on Japan's earthquake-tsunami disaster

The food families throw out has been hitting the headlines recently. According to newspaper reports, Britain is considering scrapping "best-by" date labelling because it is said to be causing billions of pounds worth of food to be thrown away needlessly.

Elderly New Zealand crimefighter told 'give it up' Herald Sun A 91-YEAR-OLD New Zealand war veteran says he has been forced to put his new career as a modern-day Batman on hold because he is not allowed to be out fighting crime alone at night. John Bray considers he is more than qualified to deal with the ... and more »

Brisbane Times

Australia, New Zealand Revamp Rugby's Bledisloe Cup to Three-Match Series Bloomberg Australia and New Zealand will contest rugby union's annual Bledisloe Cup as a three Test match series between the two nations from next year. Australia will host the potentially deciding match in October ... Three-test Bledisloe gets green lightStuff.co.nz Rugby: Three-match Bledisloe Cup to be introduced next yearNew Zealand Herald ARU ANNOUNCES ANNUAL THREE-TEST BLEDISLOE CUP SERIESARU Rugby sportal.co.nz -ABC Online -Radio New Zealand all 46 news articles »

The All Blacks and Wallabies will play a third Bledisloe Cup test match each year from 2012.

The beekeeping industry is asking the Environmental Risk Management Authority to investigate a type of pesticide that could be lethal to bees.

Shipping officials are investigating why a petroleum drilling ship broke from its moorings during a storm off the Taranaki coast.

Sir Paul McCartney has announced his engagement to New York socialite and businesswoman Nancy Shevell.

The Labour Party leader Phil Goff has told Grey Power members the economy isn't working and there is no long-term plan to fix it.

The UK has voted overwhelmingly to reject changing the way MPs are elected.

United States Mortgage buyer Fannie Mae reported a loss of $US8.7 billion for the January-March quarter, and asked for an additional $US8.5 billion in federal aid

A legal expert says the Supreme Court's decision to quash the conviction of a flag-burner means people can burn the New Zealand flag 'anytime, anywhere' with little chance of being arrested

David Hasselhoff is so well known for playing Michael Knight in 80s TV show 'Knight Rider' people still call him by his character’s name -including his own father.

A search is underway for a Palmerston North police officer missing in the Otaki Forks area of the Tararua Forest Park

John Krasinski knew his wife Emily Blunt was the woman for him the first time he met her.

Kristen Bell refuses to have a big wedding and says she and fiance Dax Shepard will tie the knot whenever they feel like it.

Newly crowned MVP Derrick Rose has scored a career-high 44 points as the Chicago Bulls have cruised to a 99-82 win over the Atlanta Hawks in game three of their NBA playoff series

Adele admits she was seduced by the 'Rude Boy' singer's "stunning thighs".

Syria's security forces have shot dead at least 13 people as thousands rallied on a "Day of Defiance" against the autocratic regime of President Bashar al-Assad after tanks converged on protest centres

Trade Me is setting up a website for Aucklanders who want to offer a free bed to Cantabrians during the Rugby World Cup

Firefighters are preparing for more calls around the top half of the North Island as heavy rains sweep across many regions. Overnight they were called to 12 flooded houses and basements in greater ...

The All Blacks and Wallabies are set to play a third Bledisloe Cup test match every year, starting next year. The additional and possibly deciding match will be hosted alternately between Australia ...

Stuff.co.nz

Police officer missing in Tararua Forest Park TVNZ A search is underway for a Palmerston North police officer missing in the Otaki Forks area of the Tararua Forest Park. The 52-year-old who was out tramping was due back last night. Acting Inspector Brett Calkin said the search is focused in the area ... Police officer missingStuff.co.nz Police officer overdue from tramping tripRadio New Zealand Police officer missing in Kapiti bushNew Zealand Herald all 9 news articles »

In a speech to Greypower today, Prime Minister John Key told the audience at their AGM in Hamilton that the National Government has delivered to superannuitants and will continue to do so.

Mr Key says: “Over the past three years, NZ Superannuation has risen $166 a fortnight for a married couple since September 2008. This is a 19% increase in nominal terms or an 8.5% increase after allowing for inflation.”

This is a significant increase, and is due to a number of different factors - a series of tax cuts; annual inflation increases; a special payment to compensate for the increase in GST; and the fact that after-tax wages have been rising faster than inflation, thereby triggering the 66 per cent wage floor.

By comparison, under the previous Government it took a whole 9 years for the married couple rate to rise 8.5% above inflation.

Mr Key also told Greypower that the National Government was spending more than ever before on health and last year delivered 12,000 more operations for over-65’s than the previous year.

“We have 1,000 more nurses and 500 more doctors now working in our public health sector, and we have also delivered more prescription medicines, shorter waits for cancer patients, and shorter waits in emergency departments,” says Mr Key.

“In law and order, we have passed a three-strikes law to keep the worst offenders in prison, strengthened laws against gangs, and launched an assault against the drug ‘P’. We have also increased police numbers and put in new programmes for youth offenders.

“I have given my word that the married rate of Super will remain at 66% of real after-tax wages”, says Mr Key.

“And I have constantly reaffirmed, and do so again today, that as long as I am Prime Minister, the age of eligibility for Superannuation will not change and all New Zealanders aged 65 and over will be eligible.”

Rafael Nadal will take on Roger Federer at the Madrid Open for the third straight year after both men came through their quarterfinal matches in straight sets on Friday.

Two men charged with the shotgun robbery of an Auckland bank have been remanded in custody to appear in court again on Monday.

Two German men who admitted travelling to New Zealand to steal rare native geckos have been jailed.

Firefighters are preparing for more calls around the top half of the North Island as heavy rains sweep across many regions.

A Palmerston North police officer is missing in Otaki Forks area of the Tararua Forest Park.

Five members of the Red Devil motorcycle gang have been granted electronic bail, with the judge allowing them three hours outside their house each day to take stress off their families.