The gateway to the Western Bays is sitting pretty, writes Elisabeth Easther.

A man who stole thousands of dollars from unattended wallets and shops on the North Shore will spend nine months in prison.

A hikoi of almost 1000 people arrived at Parihaka marae today, led by "recovering racist" and New Plymouth mayor Andrew Judd.

Tourist driver from China has been sentenced to 17 months jail for crash that killed motorcyclist Rhys Middleton.

The first nine years of Jurnee's life have been tough but all that could change.

Police are looking for a man in a white car over shooting of 17-year-old boy in Hamilton.

But Hawke's Bay Area Commander Inspector Tania Kura is likely to escape conviction.

A 17-year-old boy has been shot on a street in Hamilton, in what is now the third shooting incident on the same street in sixteen months.

Police are looking for Donald Adam Summer who went missing since yesterday morning. He is also known as Donald Adams or Don.

WATCH: The funeral of artist William Jameson was as big and well-sculpted as his artworks.

Unrepentant former Northland church leader has been jailed for 20 years for systematically grooming and sexually abusing a dozen girls for more than a decade.

A modest Whangarei bungalow has sold for $230,000 above its capital value - has the world gone mad?

More police dedicated to targeting drugs and organised criminal groups are needed to stem the flood of methamphetamine into Northland.

Building Minister Nick Smith says tighter rules for businesses which test for meth contamination will be in place by the end of the year.

The sudden death of one of Wairarapa's most colourful characters and community leaders has shocked and saddened the district.

A teenager serving a life sentence for murder is facing a charge of indecently assaulting a female prison officer at Hawke's Bay Hospital.

A Northland fisherman who tipped police off to suspicious boaties on 90 Mile Beach which led to a record seizure of methamphetamine is fearful of gang retribution.

Hawke's Bay Police are looking for the young man responsible for the sexually motivated incident.

State Highway 2 linking Opotiki and Gisborne was closed this morning due to a large slip in the Waioeka Gorge.

The Bay man accused of attempting to kill two police officers and also allegedly shot at four others is heading to trial.

More methamphetamine has been found by police among sand dunes in Northland, adding to what is already the largest meth seizure in New Zealand history.

Three men charged in connection with what police say is the nation's biggest ever methamphetamine haul have appeared in Kaitaia District Court.

A section of State Highway 2 between Napier and Wairoa is closed until midday while a crashed truck and its cargo are removed.

A man aged about 80 has been rescued after a night in his car stranded in a Central Hawke's Bay farm paddock.

Safety upgrades designed to reduce the risk of death and serious injury crashes are being installed by the NZ Transport Agency.

A pair of incredibly patient and determined Rotorua teenagers are hoping their "trick shot" videos will prove to be a big hit on the internet.

The winning entry, Bride of the Black Knight, was constructed from Black Knight liquorice and yellow shopping bags

The crash happened this morning at the intersection of Glenfield Rd and Manuka Rd in Glenfield.