A top Auckland restaurant will be closed for four weeks after a fire ripped through it early this morning.

A 17-year-old Taupo man was taken by helicopter to hospital today after almost drowning in the sea.

A tourist bus with 20 people on board has crashed north of Auckland.

The toddler is believed to have been climbing on the TV when it fell on her at her home in Dannevirke this afternoon.

Shaun Harris is fighting for his life after a major crash during a race event in Timaru.

The body of a man has been recovered from a river in Nelson this morning.

A man's throat was cut while he was using a grinder on a Waikato farm this afternoon.

An 81-year-old Whanganui man was unable to move after falling while going to the toilet and becoming jammed against the toilet door.

A young boy has died after falling off a bike into the path of a milk tanker at Maungaturoto this morning.

A woman hit by a car last night on Tamaki Drive in Auckland central is still in hospital but no longer in a critical condition, police say.

One person is in serious condition after the car they were in hit a power pole in Auckland this afternoon.

Two people escaped with just minor injuries when the car they were in rolled onto rocks along the Firth of Thames this afternoon.

A 7-year-old who nearly drowned at Palm Springs Thermal Pool north of Auckland yesterday is in a critical condition again.

A paraglider pilot flown to hospital this morning with leg injuries has been praised for his quick-thinking.

A woman was rescued from the Auckland Islands by helicopter late yesterday evening.

The exact cause of the suspicious Mt Maunganui blaze remains unknown but investigators at the site today have found no evidence of a natural cause.

A surfer survived a close encounter with a fin at a remote beach yesterday - but it wasn't the sort of fin you'd expect.

WATCH: An elderly Christchurch woman was walking her dog this morning when it decided to jump into the Heathcote River.

Fire Service spokesman Andrew Norris said crews were alerted to the fire shortly before 6pm.

One person has died in a collision between a motorcycle and a van in central Hamilton this afternoon.

A woman is believed to have died after an "extreme fall" from a central Auckland apartment building last night

A person is being airlifted to Middlemore Hospital in a critical condition after a house fire in Orewa tonight.

Police are working to track down the suppliers of illicit drugs after seven people were hospitalised in Auckland.

Two people rushed to hospital from an Auckland brothel this morning are believed to have ingested the drug GHB, police say.

Emergency services are at the scene of a two-car crash between Patetonga and Torehape on the western side of the Hauraki Plains.

In the afternoon's most serious crash, just before 4pm, at least seven people were injured and State Highway 2 was closed near Bombay, south of Auckland. St John was alerted to the accident at 2.36pm and sent a rescue helicopter and four ambulances to the scene. The incident happened on State Highway 2 near Avon Rd, just east of the intersection with State Highway 1.

Five children believed to be among 20+ injured on NZ's roads today after a horror start to the year. One person was killed early this morning.

At least 100 firefighters are dealing with fires and car crashes throughout the area tonight.

A garage in the Auckland suburb of Piha has gone up in flames tonight.