A yellow plastic watch could be a crucial clue in a police investigation into a broad daylight sexual assault on an 11-year-old girl in Napier.

The home detention sentence imposed on a young father after he broke his baby daughter's legs does not reflect a sterner approach to child abuse, a court has heard.

A family of two adults and five children escaped their burning house with just the clothes they were wearing.

Plans to transform Napier's Marine Parade have not dampened the resolve of Marineland supporters who want marine animals to feature in the site's redevelopment.

A retired orthopaedic surgeon lay dead in his Napier home for three days before being discovered by his ex-wife, a coroner has found.

Eruption activity has subsided but another eruption could occur at any time with little or no warning, according to Civil Defence. Read the latest.