NZ@Noon: Desperate measures and trans-Tasman tomcat

Toffee the cat from Tauranga was mysteriously found wandering the streets of Brisbane.

A transient tom cat from Tauranga and a happy-go-lucky man who resorted to a desperate act in Wanganui - these are just two of the stories making headlines around the regions today.

Desperate times called for desperate measures for this formally "happy-go-lucky" Wanganui man who attempted to steal deposits from a bank using a homemade contraption.

Toffee the tom cat from Tauranga was mysteriously found walking the streets of Brisbane while his owner was in Hong Kong.

Have you seen this bird? Minty the wolf-whistling parrot is missing from his Opua home.

A piece of Rotorua's history is to be explored on TV when a woman who killed her grandmother in 1991 will speak out for the first time.

A story of incredible bravery published over a year ago has prompted an act of generosity that has made a Masterton man's day.

The six trees deliberately poisoned at a Napier Primary school may sadly face the chop.

And finally, the tourism business in Auckland is about to get a big boost as cruise season kicks off in the city.