A second big earthquake in three days sent lower North Island residents scrambling for cover.

The Hawkes Bay was struck by a magnitude-5.3 earthquake this afternoon.

Hawkes Bay and the Wairarapa have been hit by two quakes this morning but there have been no reports of damage.

Slips and surface flooding are causing havoc for motorists in the lower North Island as heavy rain and gale force winds sweep the region.

Inexperience hasn't stopped Alison Wong from winning literary gold, writes Nicky Pellegrino.

Coroner David Crerar has agreed with police that Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's response to a police search was totally disproportionate to the seriousness of the incident.

A Hastings teenager jailed for assaulting his mother told police they had made his life hell and he would become the next Jan Molenaar.

A runaway truck rolled down a hill and fatally pinned a 62-year-old against another truck in a tragedy that has shocked a small community.

Just the colour of Kapiti Kitchen's Handmade Mandarin & Honey Cordial makes you want to try it.

A judge has reserved his decision in the case of a pilot seeking his job back after he was fired for drinking and having sex with a young flight attendant the night before a flight.

An 80-year-old returned serviceman who sold home-made alcohol from his garage in Hastings was today fined $1200 and placed under community supervision.

Hawkes Bay artist Martin Poppelwell has lent his talents to designing and producing The People's Wine.

A Hawke's Bay police officer has been stood down from duty after being charged with multiple counts of indecent assault.

Ex-Police frontman Sting has been confirmed as the headline act for the 2011 Mission Concert.

Two men accused of packing 14 stolen sheep into a car have been jailed for 10 months.