The US town of Ferguson woke to scenes of destruction after a night of looting and arson that followed a decision not to charge a white cop who killed a black teen.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out this morning in Auckland on the victim of a fatal boat fire on Waiheke Island.

A frustrated conservationist who set fire to a lodge on an unspoilt island in the Hauraki Gulf has avoided a jail term, partly due to his service protecting the environment.

Broadcaster Susan Wood has blasted the person who set off a flare which landed in one of Auckland's wealthiest streets, an incident police said was dangerous.

A large amount of asbestos has been discovered in an abandoned school which caught fire yesterday but the Fire Service says nearby residents are in no danger.

The families of the victims of the so-called House of Horror murders in Christchurch will have a big say in what is put on the empty site in Aranui.

Convicted child killer Jeremy McLaughlin is appealing against his conviction and sentence for the murder of Christchurch schoolgirl Jade Bayliss.

A jilted grandmother embarked on a campaign of intimidation after her ex-partner ended their relationship, which included repeatedly setting fire to the man's Tokoroa home.

The family of the boy killed by Jeremy McLaughlin in Australia are relieved at his sentence, but say the case has invoked painful memories.

Double child killer Jeremy McLaughlin will be almost 60 by the time he can apply for parole again.

Double child killer Jeremy McLaughlin has been jailed for life with a minimum non-parole period of 23 years for the 2011 killing of Christchurch schoolgirl Jade Bayliss.

A German forensics expert has been asked to help police solve the mysterious death of a woman while being treated in hospital for burns she suffered in a suspected arson.

An Auckland grandmother has been charged with murder by arson, stealing $12,500 from her employer and damaging their products by fire on three occasions.

Police have referred two teenagers to Youth Aid after a school administration block was gutted by a blaze just before 4am yesterday.

Jolon Sweeney says he helped teen killer Jeremy McLaughlin because he was fearful for his own life.

Officers confronted by 29 rioting inmates at the Spring Hill prison would have been overwhelmed if they tried to use pepper spray, a prison boss says.

About 100 inmates have been relocated to other prisons as abandoned cell blocks of the Spring Hill jail where rioters caused chaos yesterday are investigated.

Christchurch police are seeking information on a series of fires in the Wainoni area early this morning.

Police charged a man with arson after he was caught by a security guard hired to protect vacant houses from suspicious fires, including one that razed a house.