Wellington - New Zealand will hold a referendum on legalising recreational marijuana when the South Pacific nation votes in its next general election in 2020, the government announced Tuesday.

Wellington - A body, believed to be that of murdered British backpacker Grace Millane, was found Sunday on the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand police said.

Wellington - A British solo around-the-world sailor whose yacht was crippled in a ferocious storm as she crossed the Pacific has stabilised her battered vessel and is awaiting rescue, race organisers said Friday.

Auckland - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

Auckland - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could still visit Seoul for the first time in the next few weeks, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday, describing the possible trip as a major boost in efforts to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

Wellington - More than 50 beached pilot whales perished in New Zealand Friday, the latest in a spate of mass strandings this week that experts have linked to rising ocean temperatures.

Wellington - New Zealand's largest telecoms carrier Spark said Wednesday that the country's intelligence agency had barred it from using equipment provided by China's Huawei in its 5G network as it posed "significant national security risks".

Wellington - Up to 145 pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in a remote part of New Zealand, with authorities saying Monday they made the "heart-breaking" decision to euthanise dozens that lay stricken on the shore.

Wellington - A destructive earthquake that struck New Zealand two years ago has left its two main islands edging towards each other, and one city sinking, according to scientists.

Wellington - A New Zealand baby was plucked from the ocean as he floated past a fisherman in a rescue hailed as "miraculous" by water safety experts, who warned the accident could easily have ended in tragedy.

The best place to run a business, according to a new review, is, to the surprise if some, New Zealand. The review us based in data collated by the World Bank.

Wellington - A climber who dug herself out to safety after being buried by an avalanche in New Zealand said Wednesday she was "absolutely broken" by the deaths of two German guides in the accident.

Rotorua - Prince Harry and pregnant wife Meghan visited the New Zealand resort town of Rotorua Wednesday to wrap up a lengthy Pacific tour which has confirmed the star appeal of Britain's newest royal.

Auckland - Prince Harry and wife Meghan competed at "welly wanging" and were gifted a toy kiwi Tuesday, but narrowly missed out on the ultimate New Zealand experience when a powerful earthquake rattled parts of the country they had left just the previous day.

Wellington - A 6.1 magnitude earthquake rattled parts of central New Zealand Tuesday, where British royals Meghan and Harry are on tour, but officials said it caused no major damage.

Wellington - Prince Harry and wife Meghan expressed their admiration for mental health workers at a beachside morning tea in New Zealand Monday, returning to an issue that has been a recurring theme on their jam-packed Pacific tour.

Wellington - Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in Wellington Sunday to a traditional Maori welcome, an official reception disrupted by a fire alarm and a rock star reception during a public walkabout.

Wellington - As Prince Harry and his expectant wife Meghan prepare to tour Fiji and Tonga next week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the risk of contracting Zika virus in the Pacific nations is low.

Auckland - Perpetual Guardian, a New Zealand business that manages trusts, wills, and estate planning, claims that its trial of a four-day work week over March and April this year was a success. The company will be adopting the new schedule full time.

Wellington - Nauru's government has ordered Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to cease its work on the tiny Pacific island treating asylum-seekers and locals suffering from mental health problems, the medical charity said.