A transgender woman convicted of indecency and sex attacks on boys was to be deported - but has been given a chance to stay in NZ to complete her transformation.

An attempt by John Banks to avoid trial over an alleged false electoral return has failed - although the effort has exposed new memory lapses.

Alcoholic New York court stenographer Daniel Kochanski wreaked havoc on some 30 court cases after typing 'gibberish' instead of documenting speech.

A woman who left her mother in an appalling state of neglect should be sent to prison for a long time after committing one of the worst cases of elder abuse this country has seen, Grey Power says.

Pora is about to be released on parole after more than two decades behind bars for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett.

More than 200,000 people a day are tuning into a dedicated South African television channel providing 24-hour coverage of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

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.

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 attempt to have the Court of Appeal order the liquidation of Greymouth Petroleum was described by one of the judges hearing the appeal as a tactic to "extort."

A long-running and acrimonious dispute between two rich-lister shareholders of Greymouth Petroleum and their former colleague at the oil and gas company is heading back to court.

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 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 trial of three former heads of South Canterbury Finance in what is alleged to be New Zealand's biggest ever fraud case begins in Timaru today.

A mystery DNA sample could hold the key to tracing other people the Crown believes were involved in Mellory Manning's brutal murder.

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.