Waikato Police are investigating a crash in which a person died last night on State Highway 2 at Mangatarata.

If you've been wondering why you've been suddenly sleepless, ask the weather experts.

Reports of the attempted abduction of a boy in Palmerston North are incorrect, police say.

A 66-year-old man accused of stabbing two pensioners will remain behind bars while police check a bail address.

Police said the stabbing of two pensioners occurred after an argument escalated at the pensioner block.

A 17-year-old will appear in court next week in relation to the fire on Paritutu Rock in New Plymouth last Friday.

Drunk and medicated motorcyclist killed teenager Natalia Austin.

The life and business partner of a Whanganui woman killed in a two-car collision on Saturday was still in a serious condition in hospital last night.

A Coastguard skipper has described finding the man who clung to a petrol container for seven hours overnight after his boat capsized.

Police are scouring CCTV footage in an effort to identify a man who snatched a 5-year-old girl from a Palmerston North street.

The man who took a Palmerston North girl from the city's streets is likely lying low, shaking in his boots, says a top criminologist.

A 56-year-old woman who spent a traumatic 14 hours trapped inside a lift "drew pictures and wrote poems" to keep herself calm.

Parents are watching their children closely in Palmerston North this morning while the man who abducted a 5-year-old girl remains on the loose.

A 50-year-old woman who was assaulted in Hamilton earlier this week has died in hospital, sparking a homicide inquiry.

Three people have been pulled out of the water in Raglan, after their boat overturned on the bar.

A Rotorua woman has been winched out of the Whakarewarewa Forest after a serious mountain bike accident.

An 18-year-old female and a 47-year-old male have died following a head-on collision south of Whanganui.

A Bay of Plenty hotel was held up at gunpoint, with an armed man threatening drinkers and making off with the night's takings.

Napier's mayor has defended the city's much-criticised $700,000 "pier to nowhere".

Families invented 12 children for booking so they could have hut all to themselves.

A year ago Kauri went missing from his home in suburban Panmure; last week, she turned up at Te Hapara School in Gisborne.

One man is dead and another is in custody following a suspected homicide just north of Whangarei tonight.

Neighbours have described the moment a search turned to tragedy when a 1-year-old boy was found drowned last night.

Man accused of faking qualifications has been denied bail after being caught allegedly trying to flee the country.

Jaden Lee Stroobant charged with murdering and sexually violating Cun Tian in her home.

Geoffroy de Saint Germain took a big breath and dived back under the water for a third time, knowing it would be his last shot to save a drowning man.

A person whose fireworks led to a large blaze at Paritutu Rock on Friday night has been tracked down by police.

The motorcycle community is shocked and saddened after losing one of its members in a fatal crash involving a tourist driver in Hawkes Bay yesterday.