Police have charged an 18-year-old Auckland man with the manslaughter of his friend who was shot dead with an airgun during a drinking session.

A coroner says high visibility clothing should be compulsory for cyclists after the death of a senior police officer who was hit by a truck while riding his bike.

A truck driver is dead after a fully laden truck and trailer unit rolled down a bank leaving a timber mill in Whangarei.

Germany's Jacqueline Zech says she had the "best father ever" in an emotional tribute after her dad died in a motorcycle crash north of Wanganui.

A 3-year-old boy turned blue and nearly stopped breathing when his neck became caught in an electric car window, the rescuers say.

The family of a young man killed in a Waikato hit-and-run hopes an upcoming inquest will finally reveal how he died.

Friends and colleagues have paid respects to Kiwi journalist Rebecca Davidson, who was killed in a boat collision in the Seychelles this weekend.

A man has been arrested over the fatal car crash in Auckland that left a passenger impaled on a steel rod.

Philip Duncan takes a look at the weekend weather and it looks sunny and warm for most - but are we heading into a slightly cooler phase? We also take a look at a Canadian city which is experiencing daytime highs between -18 and -40C.

The brother of an instructor who died after being swept off Taranaki's Paritutu Rock into the sea, says he is not angry with the company his brother worked for.

Bette Eavestaff's hopes of a quiet start to the day crashed in around her as a car ploughed into her bedroom yesterday.

Edwin Kidwell cannot remember his mother. But her death when he was 3 has had a "dark" impact on his life.

They should never have been on the bus. But a mix-up with their booking led to 36 people hopping aboard a dilapidated coach that would become a death-trap.

A toddler has died after being hit by a vehicle in a driveway in Northland.

The survivor of a horror zorbing accident in Russia last month has spoken of the final moments before his friend's death and told of the "fear'' he saw in his eyes.

A three-year-old boy is in critical condition following a hit-and-run in South Auckland this morning.

A motorcyclist who suffered life-threatening brain injuries after he crashed during a police pursuit says officers are not to blame - despite a highly critical report.

More than $2 million was paid out to workers in government departments last year - with dangerous prisoners and dysfunctional families to blame for a number of claims.