NZ at Noon: Shaggy dogs, bee thieves and cheeky displays

Leah Miller says Cruise has to wait for his summer do. Photo / John Stone

Making headlines in the regions today include bee thieves, a streaker at the races, and Rachel Hunter goes bush.

A big reward has been offered by two beekeepers for tip-offs that will help them catch the saboteurs and thieves attacking their hives.

A cheeky display during the main race at Melbourne Cup Day at Wingatui racecourse didn't go down well. The streaker from Dunedin was lucky not to be trampled by racing horses as they passed the winning post, but his freedom was short-lived.

Ditching the high heels for gumboots, Rachel Hunter spent a night creeping through the bush. The New Zealand's Got Talent judge spent half of Monday night foraging around in Maungataniwha Forest waiting for the opportunity to take a Kiwi egg from its nest to Rotorua for incubation.

There's outrage in Wanganui after a locally made movie is not shown due to concerns over exposing local kids.

This is what the Hastings SPCA is using their $20k council grant for.

Between Tauranga and Katikati, a farmer is calling for a ban on fireworks. He said his animals panic when the banging starts.

And here's a shaggy dog story about an affable, laid-back pooch.

The Government payroll company that failed its school test has been in Northland giving lessons on how to navigate the new system.

Meanwhile, the former directors of a failed Tokoroa company used PAYE cash to pay bills.

The chapter on this 1986 tragedy is finally closed.

Fast approaching his 90th birthday, this man is showing little sign of slowing down as he gets ready for the Central Hawke's Bay sheepdog trials.

Is sending an intellectually impaired convicted murderer to prison an inhumane decision?

In Hastings, a woman's harmless attempt to remove alcohol from her partner's hand prompted a violent outburst.

Tauranga drivers are advised to drive around a bit to save on petrol.

Meanwhile, a man led police on a high speed chase through town because he "thought he was going back to jail" and a car-surfing incident in Mosgiel caused a man to end up in critical condition in hospital.

The driver that knocked this cyclist of her bike just kept going.

These kids gave a superlative performance in ASB NZ Maths Problem Challenge 2012 and won a national excellence award as well as a merit award.

Rumours are rife about an undie run to celebrate the end of the school year but so far Tauranga pupils have been able to keep the timing of the event secret.

In Rotorua, where an anti-bullying campaign is going strong, they say that work must be a bully free zone and in Hawke's Bay, people say that online harassment is no different from face-to-face bullying.

On the Far North's west coast, it's all about whanau and mussels.

They are both young, live in the same Rotorua street, are both from the United States, but they don't share the same views on politics.

Plenty of sleepless neighbours reported rowdy parties in Tauranga.

Topics trending on Twitter at noon today were #ivoted, #UCL, #election2012, Green Moon, Reus, Ajax, Fresno and America.