Four-year-old Lucas Ward will make his final journey dressed as his favourite superhero, Spider-Man.

Lucas Ward's parents are devastated after the body of their little boy was found in a Gisborne river.

Police say the discovery of missing four-year-old Lucas Ward's body was a relief for searchers but "incredibly distressing" for his family.

Photos of relatives, friends and rescue workers making contact with the 33 trapped miners in the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile.

The disappearance of preschooler Lucas Ward has "ripped at the heart" of the Gisborne community.

Gisborne police were again checking the Waimata River for missing boy Lucas Ward this morning, despite being "99 per cent sure" he wasn't there.

Police looking for Gisborne 4-year-old Lucas Ward have been searching wardrobes in homes near where the youngster disappeared.

Police searching for missing Gisborne boy Lucas Ward have for the first time admitted he may have been the victim of foul play. They also want two kayakers seen at the time of Lucas' disappearance to come forward.

The mother of missing Gisborne boy Lucas Ward believes he may have got lost following a dog and been forced to shelter somewhere.

Jessica and Damon Ward today appealed for people to take five minutes to check all around their properties in case their "curious little boy" had got lost and taken shelter.

A police dive squad is again scouring the Waimata River as the search for missing four-year-old Gisborne boy Lucas Ward enters its third day.

Three bodies have been found and three crew are still missing after a NZ chartered trawler sank in the Southern Ocean with 51 crew on board.

The 69-year-old pig hunter who went missing last night near Wanganui has been found safe and well.

Police dive squad members continue to search for a Northland man presumed drowned after he tried to row across a bay in rough weather.

Lying upside down with her scalp gashed open and an arm pinned under her friend's car, 15-year-old Zoe Hendriks came within minutes of not getting the help she so seriously needed.

Rotorua police say they are still looking for the man who sparked an armed offenders squad callout this afternoon but have now scaled back their search.

The death of an Air NZ pilot, found after he went missing on a bush walk last week, is "not suspicious", say Hong Kong police.

The body of an Air New Zealand pilot who went missing a week ago while trekking in rural Hong Kong has been found, police said today.