Wellington - A New Zealand man was jailed for 21 months on Tuesday for distributing gruesome livestream video of the Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 51 Muslim worshippers, local media reported.

Ashburton - When livestock rustlers came for sheepbreeder Daniel Wheeler's prize ewes in the dead of night, they didn't take the animals alive -- they slaughtered them on his New Zealand farm and took the meat to sell on, leaving just blood and guts behind.

Christchurch - The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks in March smiled Friday as his lawyers entered not guilty pleas to multiple murder and terrorism charges.

Christchurch - The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks pleaded not guilty to multiple murder and terrorism charges Friday and was committed to stand trial next year.

Wellington - A New Zealand court on Tuesday stopped a murder suspect from being extradited to China, saying it could not send him to a country where torture was "widespread" and "systemic".

Wellington - New Zealand will begin scaling back its non-combat mission in Iraq next month and bring home the last of its troops by mid-2020, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.

Wellington - New Zealand rugby bosses have confirmed the Canterbury Crusaders will keep their name for at least another year, despite a backlash following the mosque attacks in the team's hometown of Christchurch in March.

Wellington - New Zealand unveiled its inaugural "wellbeing" budget Thursday in a move set to cement Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's reputation for compassionate leadership in the wake of the Christchurch mosque massacre.

Christchurch - Cryptopia Limited, a New Zealand firm which operated a cryptocurrency exchange with over 300,000 accounts from around the globe has filed for US bankruptcy protect after hackers managed to steal more than US $16 million from the company.

Wellington - Samoa's prime minister has turned back time to qualify for the archery competition at the Pacific Games at the grand age of 74.

Wellington - The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks was formally charged with terrorism for the first time on Tuesday, New Zealand police said.

Wellington - The man accused of shooting dead 51 Muslim worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks was formally charged with terrorism for the first time on Tuesday, New Zealand police said.

Wellington - Tongan athlete Pita Taufatofua -- the bare-chested flag-bearer who became an online sensation at both the Rio and Pyeongchang Olympics -- plans to break out the baby oil once again and compete at the Tokyo Games in 2020.

Christchurch - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned hate speech was spreading online "like wildfire" at a meeting with victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings Tuesday, vowing the world body will lead efforts to extinguish the problem.

Wellington - New Zealand's leader Jacinda Ardern will join other world leaders in launching a "Christchurch call" to curb online extremism at an international meeting in Paris on Wednesday, following the worst mass killing in her country's recent history.

Wellington - A judicial inquiry into whether New Zealand's police and intelligence services could have prevented the Christchurch mosque attacks in which 51 worshippers died began taking evidence on Monday.

Wellington - Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has kicked off a major United Nations push for progress on what he calls the defining issue of our time: climate change.

Wellington - The ship at the centre of an environmental disaster near World-Heritage listed waters in the Solomon Islands was refloated Saturday after being stranded on a coral reef for more than three months.

Wellington - New Zealand introduced legislation Wednesday to make the South Pacific nation carbon neutral by 2050, although greenhouse gas emissions from the economically vital agricultural sector will not have to meet the commitment.

Wellington - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her long-term partner Clarke Gayford have become engaged to be married, her office said Friday.