People in northern and eastern areas of the North Island are being advised to take precautions as heavy rains threaten to sweep across those regions tonight and tomorrow, with a possibility of flooding in coastal and low-lying areas.

The father of the last New Zealander who was missing in Japan until yesterday thought the chances of son Peter Setter being alive were "tipping in the wrong direction", until the wonderful news of his survival, in one of Japan's worst hit

A Kiwi missing in Japan for whom authorities had "significant concerns" has been found alive and well, MFAT has confirmed.

A Hawke's Bay couple are desperate for news of their missing son who they fear may have died in the Japan disaster. Peter Setter, 45, is the only New Zealander in Japan who authorities have "significant concerns" about, following news

A two-week cannabis operation in the Hawke's Bay has resulted in the seizure of about $45 million worth of cannabis plants and more than 60 arrests.

Here's more to add to your gig diary - though you'd be in a fairly unique demographic if you were after tickets to all of this lot.

A former Hawke's Bay jockey has been jailed for six years for years of sexual abuse and violence against a young girl who told him in court today he had robbed her of a childhood that should have been focused on dolls and pretty pink dresse

Randall Graham, a founding member of Californian wine group, The Rhône Rangers, once claimed it was more difficult to get rid of a case of syrah than the clap.

Otago made all the running en route to a fully deserved victory over Plunket Shield cricket leaders Central Districts today.

Police are looking for witnesses after a 35-year-old man was stabbed in the neck in Hastings last night.

While summer continues to roll on, the fashionable tipple should still be rosé. No one is quite sure what is behind the rise and rise of this previously lowly ranked style, but it's popping up all over the place.

A teenage girl who drove a van that crashed and killed two men while she was more than three times the legal drink drive limit has avoided a jail term.