Twice-convicted murderer and rapist Teina Pora has a potential job apprenticeship lined up on his release from prison, new case details show.

Teina Pora's wish list after his successful bid for release yesterday are things the rest of us take for granted, a member of his legal team says.

A couple who paid $913,000 for a leaky Meadowbank house fought for four years to get it reclad after an earlier repair continued to let water into the home.

Teina Pora is "overwhelmed" by a Parole Board decision that will see him released from prison after more than 21 years, his lawyer says.

Convicted murderer Teina Pora is appearing before the Parole Board in his latest bid for freedom.

The mother of a man whose headless skeleton was found in an Auckland garage is "sick to the stomach" her son's killer is appealing the length of his sentence.

The Waitangi Tribunal has asked the Crown to consider whether it would pause the election process for the iwi's mandated body.

An Auckland high school which excluded a student with Asperger's after a dispute with a teacher is appealing against a judge's ruling to quash the expulsion.

New details of Teina Pora's appeal to the Privy Council have emerged as the twice-convicted murderer and rapist applies for bail.

A former Mafia boss wanted in Italy for extortion and other crimes has won his battle against extradition from Britain.

A High Court judge has reserved his decision on whether twice-convicted murderer and rapist Teina Pora will be granted bail.

A failed property developer and former All Black has been charged with running businesses while bankrupt.

A "culture of obfuscation" prevailed at South Canterbury Finance before its $1.6b govt bailout, where directors talked about dealing with "smoke and mirrors" and "half truths".

A throwaway comment at a law conference last week by the boss of the Serious Fraud Office has delayed the start of the South Canterbury Finance fraud trial.

The Mongrel Mob prospect accused of murdering Christchurch woman Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning has been found guilty by a jury in the High Court at Christchurch.

Peter Williams, QC, turns 80 this year and is finishing a new book of stories from his long legal career.

The jury in the Mellory Manning murder trial have been told not to read anything into the fact her accused killer has represented himself in court.

The law is not always an ass but it can produce an absurdity. The decision to allow a failed job seeker access to his competitors' CVs is one of them.

The Serious Fraud Office trial of South Canterbury Finance's chief executive and two of the failed firm's directors is due to begin in Timaru on Wednesday.

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig says he is trying to "raise the standard of debate'' with his defamation claim against Greens co-leader Russel Norman.

A mock fundraising campaign launched by Colin Craig to cover his defamation case against Russel Norman has collected $50,000 in less than a day.

New Zealand has been ranked sixth overall in a global index measuring the rule of law.

Conservatives leader Colin Craig has rejected Russel Norman's suggestion he's limited his defamation claim because he's afraid of what's in his emails about gay Kiwis.

Throughout his 34-year legal career, Simon Moore, QC has had a front row seat to the recounting of some of the most horrible crimes in this country's history.