Southland Boys' High School and Gore High have made impressive starts to the Highlanders first 15 competition today.

TWO government agencies are saving money on head office accommodation by moving their head offices into cheaper office space off the Golden Mile.

More slips have come down in Central Hawke's Bay after heavy rain returned to the district.

Melbourne's injury concerns for their tough Super Rugby tour to South Africa have eased with playmaker James Hilgendorf and key back Mark Gerrard both chances to travel.

Robbie Deans will re-sign with the ARU in a matter of weeks after revealing a burning desire to complete "unfinished business'' with the Wallabies.

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.

Police and domestic violence help agencies took to the central business district in Levin to share information about how to deal with the issue and encourage business owners to be proactive in supporting the cause.

A Palmerston North woman who stole money from her employers – and at the same time claimed the domestic purposes benefit to fund a gambling addiction – has been jailed for two years and two months.

Palmerston North advocates for a Massey University-based national cycling centre of excellence face a frustrating four-month wait to find out whether they are definitely out of the running.

Times might be tough, but don't worry about the supermodels.

Some of Manawatu's youngest mothers are looking forward to their first Mother's Day tomorrow.

The woman who portrayed Elly May Clampett in the 1960s TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies" has sued Mattel  over the toy maker's production of a Barbie doll that she says looks like her.

Hurricanes halfback Tyson Keats will face a Sanzar judicial hearing on Monday after he was cited for a dangerous tackle on Blues scrumhalf Alby Mathewson in a super rugby match in Wellington.

President Barack Obama has met and honoured the US commandos he sent after terror mastermind Osama bin Laden, saluting them on behalf of America and the world and capping an extraordinary week for the country.

A golf club-wielding man intent on gaining revenge against a woman who had stolen his mother's car, and his friend who helped him do so, have escaped a prison sentence because of the unusual circumstances surrounding their offending.

The search is on for New Zealand's oldest working television set.

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.

A Nelson employer who did not pay five employees for months on end and deducted earlier wages without consent was a "dirty rat" who deserved to be exposed, Nelson Multicultural Council co-ordinator Evey McAuliffe says.

A man, 41, from Alicetown, Lower Hutt, has been arrested for indecent exposure after a woman discovered him naked on a Normandale walking track.

Paul McCartney is set to wed Nancy Shevell.

An 11-year-old boy impaled by a metal fence is in a stable condition in Auckland's Starship Hospital after undergoing surgery yesterday to remove the metal from his leg.

The father of a New Zealander woman killed in suicide bombings in London in 2005 says he is not surprised by the coroner's findings that errors and delays by security and emergency services did not cause any of the 52 deaths.

Samoa is to move into today by shifting the International Dateline to the east.

Jenson Button made the most of improved weather conditions to post the fastest time in the second practice for the Turkish Grand Prix, and his McLaren teammate Lewis Hamilton was third quickest.

Golfing great Seve Ballesteros has suffered "a severe deterioration" in his condition, more than two years after he had multiple surgeries to remove a cancerous brain tumor.

Fullback Riaan Viljoen scored three tries and first five-eighth Sias Ebersohn succeeded with all 10 of his kicks at goal as the Free State Cheetahs blitzed the Lions 53-19 in their Super rugby match at Ellis Park.

Kiwi coach Steve Kearney witnessed New Zealand's latest Anzac Test defeat by Australia, but then insisted: "It seems a bit same old, same old - but I know we're taking steps in the right direction. The effort of the guys to keep hanging in there was a real positive.''
The Kiwis haven't won a mid year test since 1998 and never on Australian soil and once again came close, but not close enough, with their brave defensive effort undone by a string of unforced errors. The toll of extra work finally told when a 10-6 Australian lead was finally augmented by late tries from Billy Slater and Jamal Idris.
"I'm not sure exactly of the completion rate in the second half, but it wasn't pretty,'' said Kearney bluntly. "It was 50% at one stage, and against any team, it's going to be hard work.
"In the second half, we couldn't build any pressure - it wasn't like they were forced errors, we just coughed the ball up.''
But while Kearney was critical of his side's handling, he had no questions about their heart after the first-minute loss of prop Sam Rapira with a dislocated thumb left them undermanned in the forwards.
"I couldn't fault the lads for the way they hung in tonight... they kept turning up for each other,'' he said.
Kearney also criticised an illegal in-the-air tackle by Idris on Jason Nightingale which left the Kiwi wing concussed as "very dangerous''.
Kiwi skipper Benji Marshall said he "really felt we were starting to get on top of them'' when they finally won some repeat possession at the right end of the field when they trailed by four. But he too pointed at poor ball control: "We shouldn't be coughing the ball up that many times, especially when you are representing your country,'' he said. "I made a couple of errors myself so I am putting my hand up for part of the blame.
"I am proud of the boys' effort. They played with great courage, great spirit, no one wanted to let anyone down: the effort was there, but the execution probably wasn't.''
In a game with just two penalties awarded, Marshall said it was "pretty fast'', adding: "We were tired, but let me tell you, they were tired.''
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A Mid-Canterbury sheep and cattle station is set for a luxury makeover after being snapped up by a Russian-British businessman.

It just would not be an Oamaru event without Steampunk.

Timaru's main street is buzzing with Christchurch shoppers and retailers say they are doubling their sales – or even quadrupling, in one case – during what is traditionally a quiet time.

A guilty verdict delivered against murder accused Daniel Ethan Smith has come as a relief for William Lewis' family and friends.

A Timaru courtroom erupted in both cheers and sobs yesterday when an Oamaru teenager was found guilty of murder at the end of a five-day trial.

Ray Higgins lives for his duck shooting and the 71-year-old was all geared up to be at the same spot on Lake Waikare near Te Kauwhata this morning where he has been shooting for more than 50 years.

A delay in announcing the location of a multimillion-dollar national cycling centre has been welcomed across the Waikato – but rival bidders slammed the delay as "arrogant".

Staff at a Matamata restaurant-bar are in shock after learning that one of their chefs was killed in a suspected hit-and-run incident early yesterday.

A former Waikato bank manager charged with a $1.4 million fraud has fired her sixth lawyer, forcing a delay to a trial which was just days away.

A district court judge blasted the culture of binge drinking and risk-taking by young people when sentencing a teenager yesterday to more than two years in jail for killing two friends in a drunken joyride.

The beautiful game has turned ugly in Wellington.

European airlines are seeking ways to further cut their costs to offset soaring fuel prices and the impact of international crises that are squeezing margins this year.

The European Commission announced plans to make it easier for rail passengers in Europe to buy tickets and coordinate their travel plans by train - as easily as for travelling by plane.

The stately Georgian home where actor Macaulay Culkin outwitted a pair of bumbling thieves in the 1990 hit film Home Alone is for sale for $2.4 million ($NZ3m).

Everyone needs feedback at work - both positive and negative - but most of us don't know how to give or receive it gracefully.

It's awful, but some people want to bring my love affair with actress to an end.

Emma Bunton has given birth to a boy.

Madonna has reportedly been acting as the "perfect mentor" to daughter Lourdes, who is set to continue her mother's pop legacy.

Swapping chic McQueen and a regal carriage for a green shawl and a shopping trolley, the new Duchess of Cambridge is getting back to her commoner roots.

Louise Lush may not have won a prize at the Feminist Porn Awards, but the Queensland-based filmmaker isn't too concerned.