A man charged with the murder of Napier man Campbell Paterson in Far North Queensland 19 months stands trial today.

A remote beach settlement is in mourning after a double tragedy in which one of its own died while trying to haul the body of a diver out of the water.

Cameron Bartle was born with half a heart, sitting back to front inside his little chest.

WATCH: The funeral of artist William Jameson was as big and well-sculpted as his artworks.

A teenager serving a life sentence for murder is facing a charge of indecently assaulting a female prison officer at Hawke's Bay Hospital.

Hawke's Bay Police are looking for the young man responsible for the sexually motivated incident.

A former Magpies player who was sacked after 26 years in the meat working industry for not wearing a safety hat has headed to court to get his job back.

A man was flown to hospital yesterday after an accident with a log splitter.

Two women have admitted methamphetamine charges after a police raid in which more than $20,000 cash was seized.

Napier MP Stuart Nash says he has lost confidence in the region's police district commander.

The investment of $53.5m in schools in Tauranga, Hamilton and Hawkes Bay is part of the Budget 2016.

When a thief struck in Napier, he took the one thing owner Zan Lee had installed to prevent things being taken.

This year's Farmlands Horse of the Year made a financial loss, HOY chairwoman Cynthia Bowers says.

A Hastings couple have been remanded on bail for sentence on multiple burglary charges after a series of raids on the homes of the woman's parents and one of her neighbours.

Police found a man and women in a car, with apparently recently made methamphetamine later estimated to have a street value of $70,000.

A Hastings retiree illegally selling meat to cover the cost of his hunting trips has been netted by an undercover seafood operation.

More than 100 Hawke's Bay young offenders will be given the chance to gain their driver's licences and improve their employment opportunities.

Kathryn Ryan says she asked to stay longer in the maternity unit because she had suffered post-natal depression in the past and had concerns about breastfeeding.

Police are asking the public for help after an eight-tonne horse truck was stolen in Havelock North overnight on Friday.

The Government's big-spend on "social investment" is being treated with scepticism by some of those battling issues such as housing and child poverty.

A PostShop has been closed after a powder scare.

A volunteer teacher killed in a crash earlier this week had already "made her presence felt" - just two months into a year-long stint at Hohepa school.

A Hastings woman has been ordered off the roads for eight months, after confusing a car's brake with the accelerator and running over two young girls earlier this year.

A lawyer has been accused of assaulting and injuring his former girlfriend, champion triathlete Amelia Watkinson.

A moderate 4.2 earthquake has rocked the central North Island early this morning.

Severe winds, strong rain and the first dusting of snow on Mt Ruapehu are heralding cooler conditions.