Firefighters have put out an early morning fire in a Blenheim block of flats. The blaze broke out on Pitchill St about 2.30am and spread to two of the four flats in the building. Four crews fought the fire, and two crews are still…

Kiwis in India still allowed to fly here under tough new travel rules are facing fresh hurdles in their bid to escape from the Covid-ravaged country. Auckland father Siva Vemuri is desperately trying to reunite his family spread…

New Zealand will reopen quarantine-free travel with Western Australia from midday today, despite a person managing to fly here during Perth’s lockdown. New Zealand immediately suspended quarantine-free travel to and from Perth shortly…

One of New Zealand’s famous glaciers has receded 1km over the last 10 years – and the retreat of the ice has been captured on camera.And the Department of Conservation says the retreat is making it much more challenging to maintain…

A woman who rolled her car into Otago Harbour while drunk was lucky she did not drown, a judge says.Angela Jean Carey, 42, who has been convicted of drink-driving eight times, told police she ended up in the harbour near Aramoana…

Warning: Contains spoilers. The hero of popular new Netflix miniseries The Serpent says he found the show “absolutely gripping” – and “formidable” in its dedication to accuracy.Former Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who is…

Kiwis over 65 are confused because of conflicting advice about whether to get the Covid-19 vaccination or the flu jab first, says an advocacy group.Under Ministry of Health guidelines, those in line for their first dose of the Covid-19…

Test your brains with the Herald’s morning quiz. Be sure to check back on nzherald.co.nz at 3pm for the afternoon quiz. To challenge yourself with more quizzes, CLICK HERE.

As the radiant full moon shone ever closer to the Earth, photographers in Australia and around the world had their cameras at the ready.

All Australian states and territories and New Zealand have reopened their borders to Western Australia after a three-day lockdown in Perth.

This afternoon South Australia was the latest to lift the hard border with its neighbour, but people from the Perth and Peel regions will still need to get tested.

They are required to have a coronavirus test on day one, five, and 13 after landing in South Australia.

LIVE UPDATES: Australia suspends flights from India

https://twitter.com/katelambe_/status/1386936212884049927

From midday tomorrow New Zealand will also lift its travel pause with Western Australia.

NZ COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the news after Perth successfully completed a snap three-day lockdown without any new local cases.

"Quarantine Free Travel will be recommenced from Western Australia at 12 noon, 28 April 2021 for travellers who have not been identified as contacts," Mr Hipkins said.

Mr Hipkins said anyone identified as a close contact would still be required to complete a 14-day self-isolation period and provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test before they are allowed to board a flight to New Zealand.

READ MORE: Despair of Australians trapped in India amid flight ban

"All casual contacts – those who were at the locations of interest at the published time – will need to self-isolate for five days and receive a negative test," Mr Hipkins said.

"An additional New Zealand requirement means they will need to continue to monitor their symptoms in place and will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand until 14 days after they were at the location of interest."

Mr Hipkins said the NZ Government is satisfied the risk is low and the Trans-Tasman Bubble is working largely as planned.

This is despite an investigation looking into how a Perth traveller was able to enter New Zealand during the state's three-day lockdown.