Two youths have been charged after police found 22 sheep crammed in a van in Gisborne this morning.

A sheep on an escape bid had a lucky break after it took a wrong turn and headed into the sea at Makorori.

Gisborne was never officially named Gisborne, the New Zealand Geographic Board has revealed.

Damian Webster was flying from Karamea on the West Coast to Nelson, when his Robinson 44 helicopter disappeared on Tuesday.

The search for a missing helicopter has entered its fourth day.

The family of a pilot who has been missing since his helicopter disappeared near Nelson two days ago are going through hell, his uncle says.

The search for a missing West Coast helicopter will resume tomorrow.

An administrator at Bunnings Warehouse who sat through the winter months at a desk in a warehouse that got down to 6C has been awarded compensation.

Police are trying to trace the movements of a car believed to be linked to a serious baseball bat assault that put three Gisborne people in hospital with serious injuries.

A young man with critical leg injuries lay trapped in his crashed ute for more than 12 hours after his vehicle crashed down a bank and into a tree.

A Gisborne chess club depicted in the New Zealand film The Dark Horse is recreating events in the movie by trying to raise funds to get its members to a national tournament.

Thirteen people including teenagers were injured when a school bus crashed into a ditch on State Highway 2 near Gisborne this afternoon.

The sexual abuse claims of a boy had been "clearly vindicated" and a weight lifted from his mind, a judge said as he jailed Damien Robert Banks for 15 months.

A pilot "did everything right" to land a light aircraft in a paddock after the engine failed during take-off today at Auckland's Ardmore Airport.

A man was dragged from his burning council flat by his cousin, who happened to see smoke coming from the area as he went out for a takeaway.

Forestry company HarvestPro has been ordered to pay $120,000 in fines and reparation after one of its workers was hit by a log weighing more than a tonne.

More than 100 insurance claims have already been lodged with AA Insurance today for damages to roofs, windows and fences from the overnight storm.

The search for missing Gisborne man Duncan Munro ended tragically yesterday for his family when his body was found in a remote area on the Mahia Peninsula.

Police have resumed their search for a missing Gisborne surfer, after his car was found near a remote beach.

A two-bedroom home with its original 1950s bathroom and kitchen and not in one of Auckland's hottest suburbs has sold for $1.08 million.