Unexpected arrival is a boon for birdlife in New Zealand, where there are only 500 takahē left A pair of rare native New Zealand takahē birds who were believed infertile have stunned staff at the world’s largest urban eco-sanctuary, after hatching a “miracle” chick. The roughly seven-week old chick was discovered inside Zealandia, a fully fenced eco-sanctuary 10 minutes from Wellington’s city centre, in November, but its arrival has been a closely guarded secret to ensure its safety. Continue reading...

Ruapehu is emblematic of question facing New Zealand: how to prevent rural regions – and the country at large - from hollowing out

Exclusive: In the first legal challenge to the plan, top climate lawyers claim the government relies too heavily on forestry and failed to consult the public

Critics say the country’s unique biodiversity is at risk as the government plans to boost mineral exports to $3bn by 2035

Critics say the country’s unique biodiversity is at risk as the government plans to boost mineral exports to $3bn by 2035

Shane Jones is unapologetic about his plan to double mineral exports to $3bn over the next decade despite criticism over potential environmental impacts

Claims of a recent sighting of the animal in the vast Fiordland wilderness reignites public fascination in a story that has endured for decades

Bill which sought to radically reinterpret New Zealand’s founding treaty between Māori tribes and the British Crown fails by 11 votes to 112

More than 450 artefacts from a waka found in pieces in the Chatham Islands expected to reveal new insights about Polynesian voyaging

A groundswell of resistance against the government’s Māori policies is driving many to make the trip to the Waitangi treaty grounds in New Zealand’s far north for the first time Twenty-year-old Keshaan Te Waaka stands – for the first time – on the narrow…

Mayor says he will invite incoming US ambassador to visit the memorial to Sir Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealander who split the atom in a British laboratory

Guardian analysis of changes in six key policy areas explains the coalition’s rationale for the shifts and provides expert views on how they will impact Māori

A network of locals ready to provide a bed, a lift, or a box of chocolates to tired walkers along the Te Araroa trail has become a lifeline