A firefighter has been injured dealing with a blaze at a state house in Lower Hutt last night.

Women have felt scared walking past "degrading and senseless" jokes on blackboard outside Hastings bar.

WATCH: Auckland Zoo giraffe Zuri is on a road trip to Wellington Zoo. We update her 12-hour journey down the North Island.

Wanganui Cancer Society was shocked when the owner said he wanted to donate it to auction off and raise money to help people in their community.

Waikato District Mayor Allan Sanson is disappointed the reporter referred to the town as "rotting" and has offered to show her around.

Waikato police are refusing to comment on why they cordoned off a rural school the morning after a quiz night.

Twelve families who had been struggling to find a healthy home were at the centre of celebrations in a Tauranga housing project at the weekend.

Research into how ash clouds from a large volcanic eruption under Lake Taupo would affect the country could help with managing the disaster if it occurs.

Residents of a seaside suburb are unhappy a children's playground is going ahead, saying it will attract undesirables leaving needles and condoms.

A Wanganui Cancer Society volunteer has shocked the organisation by offering up his beloved classic car for auction in a bid to raise funds for them.

A 19-year-old whose car went head-on into a power pole in Waikato early this morning, is now in a stable condition.

Two young men have been charged over an assault in which a police dog handler was knocked unconscious.

Two people have been injured, one seriously, after a two car crash in Pukekohe this evening.

A homeless family who got a state house after seeking help from a Mangere marae now want to "pay it forward" by helping others who are still sleeping in cars.

A driver escaped unhurt after the logging truck he was driving caught fire in Northland.

MetService is warning of more rain, squalls, strong winds, "a nasty band of thunderstorms" and even coastal tornadoes today.

Thunderstorms, gale force winds and heavy rain are on the way for this afternoon.

A developer has backtracked on its plans to move a beachside carpark.

Two Levin schools have closed today because of a confirmed case of measles.

Police unsure how long body in Wellington flat lay undiscovered.

Eleven automatic weapons - including submachine guns and assault rifles - stolen from the gun safe.

Graham Hartley's dog mauled his six-year-old grandson but judge decided he had suffered enough.

A shed being used as a sleepout was damaged by fire in one of two suspicious blazes overnight.

Fleeing gang members hurled onions and a glass chopping board at police during a high-speed pursuit through the Waikato.

A vehicle on State Highway 1 north of Taihape appeared to have gone over a bank and caught fire last night.

Taxi driver thought he was going to die when young man robbed him gunpoint.

A group of hunters have been spoken to by police, and they are seeking another group of hunters believed to have been in the area at the time.

One person was taken to Waikato Hospital in serious condition and another person was taken in moderate condition, a St John Ambulance spokeswoman said.