A friend of a teen killed in a Rotorua fire claims the blaze was caused by a Molotov cocktail thrown into the building as partygoers slept.

A hunter has died after falling more than 10m onto rocks from a cable bridge near Hanmer Springs.

Teenagers hospitalised by the factory fire that killed 14-year-old Mihinui Tamiana will be interviewed by police investigating how the blaze started.

Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions after a fatality-free start to Queen's Birthday Weekend.

A fire that ripped through a factory, killing a schoolgirl, is believed to have been caused by a petrol generator bought just weeks ago by teenagers for parties there.

A motorcyclist has been blown off the road as strong winds hinder traffic in the South Island this morning.

Seven people have been injured in a three-car collision in Auckland this afternoon.

The mother of two teenage sisters killed in a Christmas Day 2011 crash near Tauranga says she has forgiven the man responsible for their deaths.

Five people have died in crashes on the country's roads already this week, as police brace for Queen's Birthday weekend - a notorious period for road fatalities.

The driver of a vehicle that crashed near Tauranga on Christmas Day 2011, killing two children, has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.

The parts of the country which become more dangerous to travel through during Queen's Birthday weekend have been revealed in a police bid to cut the holiday road toll.

Maori elders blessed the scene of a fatal car crash in South Wairarapa this morning where the body of the 17-year-old crash victim lay covered on the road.

Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions after three people died on New Zealand's roads within 11 hours in separate crashes.

Two trucks are blocking State Highway 4 in the central North Island following a crash this morning.

One man has died after a head-on crash between two trucks in the Bay of Islands this morning.

The pair accused of bashing and abducting a man before stealing his car in the Kaimai Range - an event linked to the death of a Tauranga teen - will remain behind bars.

One motocross rider has died after colliding head-on at speed with another rider on a dark shingle road, after they had left a party in North Canterbury last night.

Whenever I see a white cross on the side of the road while I'm driving, it's a powerful reminder to take care.

Latu Paasi wiped away tears as she watched the unveiling of her husband and son's headstone yesterday - the first anniversary of their death in a boating tragedy.

The Accident Compensation Corporation's Earners and Work Accounts are now fully funded ACC Minister Judith Collins has told National Party members at their Northern Regional Conference today.

A woman was trapped when the car she was in left the road and crashed into some trees in Hamilton this morning.

A man has been taken to hospital after a collision between a ferry and a water taxi near Princes Wharf at Auckland's waterfront.

A car has crashed through the front door of a petrol station on Auckland's North Shore.

A rail worker who failed to make sure two of his co-workers were off the track before a passenger train passed by, nearly hitting them, was a regular cannabis user, an investigation has found.