All Black Sione Lauaki admits punching a man in a Hamilton bar earlier this month, but will be available for the Chiefs' next match with the Brumbies.

Telecom shares sank to new a low on the NZ sharemarket today, while rises in Fletcher Building, Contact Energy and other leaders helped carry the market higher.

Some of NZ's first national standards-based student reports have been issued by a Hamilton school amid concerns from its principal.

A young father was stabbed with a steak knife and bitten after he confronted two burglars - both young women - in an incident police say could easily have ended in tragedy.

At least 60 firefighters were needed to quell a blaze understood to be the largest in Hamilton since a fatal coolstore explosion two years ago.

Sixty firefighters were this afternoon battling a blaze at a fibreglass boat builders in Hamilton.

A Sunday newspaper is defending an investigation that put reporters with fake bombs in sports stadiums, horrifying officials and angering police.

A newspaper has been widely condemned for sending mock terrorists into Super 14 rugby games last weekend.

A newspaper has hit back after Police Minister Judith Collins criticised it for sending "terrorists" to Super 14 rugby games.

A newspaper had no satisfactory explanation for sending people dressed as terrorist bombers into the AMI stadium, the head of the stadium says.

Judith Collins is fuming after the Sunday Star-Times sent groups of people dressed as terrorist bombers to Super 14 games.