A person is dead after a crash involving a car and motorbike on Harris Rd in Huntly, taking the Queen's Birthday Weekend road toll to eight.

A neighbour has spoken of seeing the skin on one boy's arm "totally gone" following a car fire that left four children injured.

A man has died after a stack of panels fell on top of him at factory in the Waikato town.

A child who crashed a stolen car down a bank in Waikato while speeding away from police should pay up, the vehicle's owner says.

Traffic is easing for drivers trying to get onto State Highway 1 from Mangatarata but there were still delays, NZTA says.

Police are investigating after the body was discovered near Huntly.

Sixty-five staff to axed as operator admits there is no chance whatsover of finding a buyer for Waikato mine that's cost about $500,000 a month to keep open.

A police communications spokesman could not confirm the address the call-out is focused around.

A woman who crashed her vehicle into a house in Huntly this morning has been charged with dangerous driving and excessive breath alcohol.

Solid Energy acting chairman Andy Coupe admitted it was "unlikely" that any sale, or sales, would cover its outstanding debt.

Genesis Energy announced its last two coal-burning electricity generators at Huntly Power Station will be shut down.

Mr Key said Solid Energy had $300 million of outstanding debt and was in a "precarious position".

A 20-year-old man died following a head on collision near Huntly last night.

Huntly Police are appealing for information after a woman was sexually assaulted while walking through a local reserve overnight.

The deaths of a young mother and her newborn son might have been prevented had the mother received the care of an obstetrician in hospital, a coroner says.

A motorist who was snapped driving at 170km/h on a north Waikato road then blew over twice the legal alcohol limit when he was pulled over, police allege.

Emergency services are on their way to Pukekawa, north of Huntly, where a light plane may have crashed this afternoon.

A vehicle's collision with a cow north of Huntly has closed a section of road running adjacent to the Waikato expressway.

Six people have been injured during two crashes near Huntly, one of them seriously. Traffic has been backed up on State Highway One for 14 kms.

At least 11 patrol cars and the police helicopter unnecessarily pursued a motorcyclist at speed when he crashed and suffered brain injuries, a police review has found.

A Waikato man will spend his 18th birthday in court today following a lengthy police pursuit early this morning.

A man who tried to incite a crowd in a Hamilton bar by referring to the Christmas Day attack on two police officers in Dargaville is facing aggravated robbery charges.

This month's toll of job losses is striking - but it's a reflection of a slowing of the Chinese economy. It's time to look for jobs that have a future.

The New Zealand Woman's Weekly celebrates its 80th birthday this year. Catherine Masters discovers how the magazine has reflected our lives over the decades.