The grandfather of a Hastings preschooler killed in a tragic mower accident says he is devastated by the death.

A "terrible accident" that resulted in the death of a 4-year-old boy has left a veteran council tractor driver traumatised and distraught.

The driver of a council tractor-mower is 'very shaken up' after he hit and killed a 4-year-old described by his gran as 'full of joy and bounce.'

A 4-year-old boy has died after he was run over by a council tractor mower in a Hastings park this evening.

A pedestrian has been struck and killed by a train in the Auckland suburb of Takanini.

A person has been critically injured after a truck carrying livestock rolled on their car north of Wellsford late this afternoon.

A coroner has slammed police's attempts to locate a troubled teenager who ran away from foster care before being killed in a car crash.

The family of a New Zealander who died when a branch fell on her in a London park says an investigation into why the branch broke could prevent future deaths.

A Kiwi who died instantly when a tree branch fell on her in London's Kew Gardens may not have been killed had the tree been pruned properly, an inquest hears.

Claimants battling ACC for entitlements say its $4.9 billion surplus is "ridiculous" and "obscene" given how difficult it has made it for New Zealanders to obtain compensation.

Police were en route to intercept a car driving the wrong way on Auckland's northwestern motorway this morning before the vehicle collided with another car.

Two children were injured in a head-on crash after a car drove the wrong way on Auckland's northwestern motorway this morning.

A team of "exceptionally gutsy" schoolgirl cyclists have won silver medals in a national competition less than three weeks after they were injured in a road smash.

One person died and five others were injured in crashes across the country over the weekend.

They never saw it coming. Even if they had, they could never have survived it.

The family of missing Canadian tourist Connor Hayes are coming to NZ next week and hope to hold a memorial in the small South Island town where he was last seen alive.

A man received life-threatening back and head injuries after falling from a deck in Auckland last night.

A man died in the Far North after he climbed a power pole and touched wires connected to a 11,000 volt transformer following a fight with his girlfriend.

Last year, almost 1000 Kiwis died suddenly at the hands of others, in crashes or through suicide.

A Nelson father of four who died after being swept off his yacht had 25 years' experience on the water, his friends say.

Well-wishers have donated nearly $25k to help two girls whose mother was killed in a drink-drive smash, but the money is untouched because of a family row.

A woman almost killed when she was dragged 60m behind a vehicle in South Auckland was not the victim of a hit-and-run as first suspected.