A barman was robbed at gunpoint and assaulted while four patrons were attacked outside another pub in two violent episodes in Hawkes Bay at the weekend.

A 72-year-old suffered serious injuries when his van plunged 150 metres down a bank in Hawkes Bay.

An 18-month-old boy was rushed to hospital last night after swallowing what was believed to be a scented oil.

A date has been set for the trial of former Central Hawke's Bay mayor Hugh Hamilton on charges brought by the Serious Fraud Office and Financial Markets Authority.

A winery has lost 6000 litres of merlot after vandals opened a tank valve and left it to drain.

One person has suffered serious injuries after a train and a car collided in Hawkes Bay this afternoon.

A 56-year-old man has been flown to hospital in critical condition after being trapped when his excavator rolled 50-metres down a bank.

A man's throat was cut in an accident at a glazing company in Napier yesterday.

A prominent Hawke's Bay barrister has admitted crashing into a vehicle driven by Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar.

Hawke's Bay police have turned to Facebook to battle boy racers after a series of fatal crashes in the region.

Most of the North Island could be declared a drought zone by the end of the week, but Prime Minister John Key says the impact on the Government's books remains to be seen.

Five years have passed since his daughter went missing, and life has only got harder for Joe Tumanako and his family.