A police officer charged with assault has had his identity protected by the courts before his first appearance, prompting questions over preferential treatment.

A New Year's Eve party at a Waihi Beach home has become part of the police inquiry into the killing of a 64-year-old holidaymaker, allegedly by a local teenager.

As a Waihi teen appears in court charged with the murder of Robert Wilkinson, friends of the victim remember him as an "all round nice guy".

A teenager has been charged with the murder of a holidaymaker at Waihi early on New Year's Day.

Nelson police have been flooded with information from members of the public following a violent rape on New Year's Day.

British detectives have issued a $10,000 reward for the arrest of a New Zealand fugitive suspected of killing a gay man in his UK home.

Serious violent and sexual assaults have spiked over the Christmas period in Auckland's CBD - and police say alcohol is to blame.

Footage from the police Taser gun allegedly used by a woman against a Northland policeman during a vicious assault is now being used as potential evidence against the attackers.

A Tongan overstayer who raped a 17-year-old stranger in a Rotorua park has been jailed for more than eight years.

An Auckland doctor hoping to be accepted into a programme to become a surgeon has escaped conviction for repeatedly assaulting his wife and threatening to kill her.

A primary school teacher has been arrested and charged with indecently assaulting pupils at the Auckland school where he worked.

Police are still investigating the mysterious death of Paeroa pizza shop owner Jordan Voudouris, who was gunned down six months ago.

A woman's body has been discovered in the early hours of this morning in a house in Ashburton.