The Chiefs have been spared another selection headache with Sione Lauaki available to play in their crucial clash with the Bulls after avoiding an NZRU-imposed suspension.

A 41-year-old Hokitika man has appeared in court to face a charge of murdering an elderly man found shot dead yesterday.

Nicollette Sheridan, who played estate agent Edie Britt in the hit programme, has filed a lawsuit claiming she was sacked after being physically assaulted by the show's creator.

A 41-year-old man will appear in court today on one count of murder after a double shooting in Hokitika yesterday.

A man in his 40s has been charged with two counts of murder and will appear in the Greymouth District Court tomorrow.

Police name a couple who died in an apparent murder-suicide after shots were fired at a Nelson camping ground yesterday.

A witness reported seeing an armed man enter a caravan before screams and shots were heard.

The day he died, Senior Constable Len Snee started work early, jogging past Jan Molenaar's house at dawn to conduct a final reconnaissance.

Blazej Kot killed his 28-year-old wife when 'delusions' made him think she'd been replaced by an identical-looking impostor.

A steel chest plate and Kevlar-type body armour made from a motorcycle jacket protected Jan Molenaar during the Napier seige, an inquest heard.