A petrol explosion at a house where an 11-year-old boy was seriously burned was heard in neighbouring streets.

A man arrested for allegedly forcing his way into a woman's Porirua home and subjecting her to a prolonged sexual attack will keep his name secret for now.

Police are likely to tomorrow again door-knock neighbours of a Porirua woman subjected to a prolonged and horrific sexual assault in her home.

Marking World Refugee Day, the Herald spoke to a refugee family who escaped from Laos to New Zealand 33 years ago, risking their lives to do so.

The Porirua house where Pita Tekira shot police dog Gazza was badly damaged in a fire last night.

Central District Police are eagerly awaiting a new recruit - the niece or nephew of slain police dog Gazza.

The body of the man involved in a 26-hour armed stand-off in Wellington will be returned to Hawke's Bay today.

Police have just been seen carrying a pistol out of a house on Kokiri Cres.

A dramatic standoff in Porirua led to the death of a police dog and serious injury of an officer.

Colourful boatsheds set the scene at friendly Titahi Bay, finds Elisabeth Easther.

One lucky punter from Porirua has woken up $1 million richer today after cashing in on yesterday's live Lotto draw.

Education officials are "extremely concerned" a Porirua early childhood centre has re-employed a teacher accused of striking children.

Fallen police officers were remembered at a solemn Remembrance Day service today.

Two men allegedly robbed a liquor store at gunpoint this morning.

Police say there are unusual circumstances regarding the length of time the body of a deceased man was in a Porirua home.

Investigators are working to unravel the circumstances that lead to a man's death after his body was found inside a home yesterday.

Washing your car in the driveway is a thing of the past for Porirua residents.

Firefighters have been battling a blaze that broke out at a Chinese Takeaway shop in Porirua this morning.

A man has appeared in Porirua District Court charged with two counts of assault after a six month-old baby died from head injuries on Monday.

Police are on the hunt for a Porirua man after they seized more than $130,000 of methamphetamine in a drug bust.

A teenager who admitted to carrying out a vicious attack on an elderly couple while they slept last year has been sentenced to almost six years in prison.

A teenager accused of a vicious attack on an elderly couple has still not entered a plea.

Neighbours tried to save a man who was trapped inside his burning home in Titahi Bay this morning, but were driven back by thick smoke and flames.

A jury in the case of a man accused of cutting a woman's throat and assaulting another with a hammer has retired to consider its verdict.

A man accused of attempting to murder a pregnant woman in her home last year said he had to kill her, cut her throat, then cut his own, a court has heard.

A man who fell from his ladder onto a rockery and was given painkillers by the local medical centre, died two days later of internal injuries, a coroner has found.

A trial date has been set for a man who allegedly attacked his pregnant partner with a hammer and a knife.