Owners of a prized race car used in a NZ film are said to be devastated after the vehicle was destroyed by fire.

Navy divers with sonar equipment will join police tomorrow in the search for a teenage boy presumed dead after a jetski accident near Rotorua.

A coroner has called for the Government to immediately investigate making the wearing of helmets compulsory and tightening other safety regulations.

The mother of a 13-year-old injured when a jetski rammed his boat has defended letting him and his mate, 11, go on the water alone.

The drowning death toll will rise if school swimming lessons aren't made compulsory, the Government has been warned.

A teenage jetskier was killed yesterday when he fell off and was run down by friends. It was one of two horrifying water accidents involving young people in popular holiday spots.

Two boys have been injured after a collision between two boats off Pauanui overnight.

They may not be able to exchange wedding rings, but a couple who survived a four-car smash will be united forever by matching scars.

The vast majority of the royal commission of inquiry hearings into the Pike River tragedy will be held in Greymouth, the commission says.

Attempts will be made this weekend to seal cracks around the ventilation shaft at the Pike River Coal mine and stop gases leaking out - a critical step in the process towards stabilising the mine.

Alcohol and speed appear to have been factors in a crash which left two people critically injured on Auckland's North Shore today, police say.

The "vast majority" of the Pike River Royal Commission of Inquiry hearings into the tragedy which claimed the lives of 29 men will be held in Greymouth, the commission says.

After 54 hours in the open, missing 90-year-old June Wickman was found alive by her grandsons yesterday, amazing rescuers.

A 10-year-old Hamilton girl has died after cycling down a flight of stairs. The girl had been cycling to the dairy with her aunty and cousin when the accident happened.

The tragic death of a Nelson teenager this week serves as a warning of the risks of suffering from shallow water blackout when holding your breath underwater, a water safety expert says.

A man who allegedly posed as a Pike River miner to steal from a family who befriended him was remanded in custody when he appeared in court today.