After almost being knocked unconscious, James Tauariki turned up to the Rerewhakaaitu Rodeo on Sunday ready to compete again in the same event.

A Rotorua man who treated a young girl like a "sex slave'' has been jailed for more than 13 years.

A Tongan overstayer who raped a 17-year-old stranger in a Rotorua park has been jailed for more than eight years.

The head of the company behind the Novopay payroll system has apologised to school staff left unpaid but says he's "bamboozled'' anyone would be in that position.

A 10-year-old boy was seen playing on a rock wall moments before slipping into a thermal pool and suffering fatal burns, a coroner's inquest has heard.

Coroner Wallace Bain is calling for action over the "frightening" number of butane sniffing deaths, warning that even one huff can kill.

A government employee who was sacked after she accessed client records of Facebook 'friends' has won her job back until a full hearing can be held next year.

A pilot who was killed when his plane crashed near Rotorua at the weekend has been named by police.

A Rotorua pilot was killed when the plane he was flying crashed into farmland near Rotorua.

A Rotorua man jailed for life for the brutal murder of Polish tourist Roman Skorek has been forever scarred by the killing, a court has heard.

A violent tornado which hit Hamurana near Rotorua threw people and animals in the air, uplifted trees and damaged properties.

A Rotorua man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non parole period of 12 years for the murder of Polish man Roman Skorek in Kuirau Park earlier this year.

A Lake Rotoiti hapu will blockade a boat ramp tomorrow to force public access to a private boat ramp which is built on the Maori-owned lake bed.

Even chicken pox can't stand in the way of the Smith family gaining a perfect attendance record at school.

The nativity at Rotorua Hospital chapel has its most important member back - baby Jesus.

A hoax caller who rang 111 and said someone had drowned at Rotorua's Tikitapu (Blue Lake) put emergency services at risk as they rushed to the scene.

There was standing room only at Michelle Hoffman-Tamm's funeral as tributes flowed for a woman whose greatest joy was to help others.

Two men kidnapped a drunk and vulnerable woman, drove her out to an isolated area near the dump and raped her, a Rotorua court has heard.

Michelle Hoffman-Tamm's tragic death after going missing on a bike ride will touch people from many walks of life, says her sister Jan Donlan.

Efforts by Rotorua Montessori students and their parents to raise funds for the school have been ruined by thieves.