Friends of a man believed to have been murdered initially thought he had been kidnapped and say they had all been prepared to contribute to whatever ransom demand was made.

Police believe a man whose body was found in Gisborne may have gone to the Rhythm and Vines music festival before he went missing almost a month ago.

A teenager will reappear in Youth Court today charged with the murder of young Ashburton mother Sina Solomona.

A police officer attacked by a mob in the coastal Waikato town of Kawhia on Friday night has expressed his gratitude for the help he received from locals.

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.

Police cordoned off a Northland house following an alleged assault which left a woman critically injured in hospital.

The memory of Rotorua murder victim Michelle Hoffman-Tamm has been honoured by her neighbours with the unveiling of a park bench and a time capsule.

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