Two young brothers are being hailed as heroes after they rescued their dad from a DIY disaster.

The grandmother of a man killed after a police pursuit says the police are putting lives at risk by continuing with chases.

A gathering ended with near-tragedy when a vehicle ploughed into a crowd on a remote rural road outside re-elected Manawatu district mayor Ian McKelvie's property.

Two men who died after their vehicle crashed into a tree in Te Puke this morning were fleeing from police.

A toxic mud spill swamped villages in Hungary, killing four and injuring 120.

Three children critically hurt in a crash in Kawerau today were not wearing seat belts, police say.

A helicopter has crashed on the Banks Peninsula, less than 24 hours after two hunters walked away from a crash in Fiordland.

Two teenagers are seriously ill in Middlemore Hospital with extensive burns after a gas cylinder is thought to have exploded in their faces.