Australian officials say the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane will shift farther south of the most recent suspected crash site in a remote stretch of Indian Ocean.

The motorcyclist killed while fleeing police in Christchurch today has left behind a young son, his distraught friends say.

Mac Robinson drove past a fatal crash in Matamata on Monday night before glancing back and realising the car involved was his wife's.

Three teenagers must now cope without their parents, after their father was crushed between two trucks on Monday, five years after their mother died.

One person has died in a crash in Canterbury this morning. The crash occurred on Bealey Rd, near Darfield, around 8.20am, police said.

A middle-aged woman is dead after her car hit a horse in Waikato last night.

A man suffered head and spinal injuries after being pinned beneath a 300kg aluminium tower which fell on him in Hawkes Bay today.

The Dutch businessman accused of causing a crash that killed a Christchurch woman and two 12-year old girls has pleaded guilty in a surprise court appearance today.

Malaysian police believe if the disappearance of MH370 was the act of human intervention then the likely perpetrator was the pilot.

A man was in a serious condition in Thames Hospital last night after his car burst into flames following a crash in Coromandel.

The wife of New Zealander Paul Weeks, who was on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 when it vanished, will reject an offer of compensation.

A man who fell 40 metres down a cliff while chasing a wild goat says he's lucky to be alive.

A man died after what police describe as a "highly modified trike" crashed in Napier yesterday.

A major crash involving two large trucks damaged traffic lights in Christchurch this morning.

The toddler who was killed in a crash in the Bay of Plenty on the weekend has been formally identified by police.

A judge ordered an American man who caused a fatal crash on the Coromandel Peninsula to pay $5500 for emotional harm and told him "this will remain with you forever".

Alcohol has been ruled out as a factor in a fatal crash in the Bay of Plenty this morning, which killed an 18-month-old child.

After losing her father to NZ's worst air disaster, Sharon Finlay-Semb thought she had lived with enough sadness.

A 36-year-old man from the United States was taken to Dunedin Hospital in a critical condition after a crash on Great King St North early this morning.

A truck carrying prestressed concrete walls crashed south of Katikati at 7am, bringing down power lines.

Five men had a lucky escape when the dinghy they were in capsized on the Waikato river.

A man has died after crashing his distinctive vehicle into a tree in Auckland yesterday.

A 32-year-old man has died after his vehicle and a truck and trailer unit collided near Tokoroa early today.