John Key says it is critically important police address the child abuse investigation concerns raised in an Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) report today.

A damning report into police handling of child abuse cases shows at least one district prioritised traffic fines over abuse investigations.

The Fire Service is scaling down operations at a large fire in an industrial area of Auckland.

More than 100 firefighters were last night battling a blaze at a large abandoned cool store already charred by a fire 18 months ago.

Slain liquor store owner Navtej Singh waited for 37 minutes for medical treatment because the officer in charge of the scene was never directly told the robbers had fled, an IPCA inquiry finds.

The Deputy Police Commissioner has dismissed the idea that police had failed in their "duty of care" toward Navtej Singh.

Two children are among the people missing after the land beneath their house gave way, causing it to partially collapse.

A 43-year-old Korean woman and her teenaged daughters were found dead in their Christchurch home yesterday.

Police are not looking for suspects after the bodies of three women were found in a Christchuch home this morning.

A golfer was in a serious but stable condition in hospital last night after falling 30m down a cliff while looking for his golfball.

A 6-year-old boy was killed when fire ripped through a Whanganui house last night.

Nearly a million 111 calls last year were from people bumping the phone, kids playing or prank calls.