Fashion designer Ana Macdonald has been left devastated after her car was stolen with her beloved pet dog inside.

Holiday dinners could be put on hold after of a large number of Christmas hams, salamis and steaks were stolen from a Nelson butcher, police say.

Incredible CCTV footage has emerged that shows a thief steal from an upmarket off licence in North London after appearing to hypnotise the shop's owner.

A multi-million dollar insurance claim by Bridgecorp's receivers against Lloyd's Underwriters in London has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

A "predatory" Dunedin lawyer who stole $2.8 million from 32 clients over 21 years in one of the longest-running frauds in NZ history has today been jailed for more than eight years.

Dunedin Botanic Garden staff are on high alert following a break-in by someone they believe was looking for hallucinogenic drug-producing cacti.

Dripping blood on to the road, Alice Wylie chased man who violently tore away her handbag. "I have seen a lot of things, but I have never seen evil before."

A former Auckland lawyer has been struck off after being convicted of theft, the Law Society says.

They say life imitates art. But sometimes, it appears, it imitates artists.

"Low-life" thieves stole a family's courtesy car then logged into a 12-year-old boy's Facebook page and taunted him, saying "Catch me if you can I'm the ginger bread man".

Dunedin musician Mike Moroney was "a little bit dumbstruck" when he arrived home on Wednesday evening to find that burglars had stolen seven of his stringed musical instruments.

A now-bankrupt insurance broker who shared a kickback with a senior Bunnings manager in order to keep the store's business has been jailed for four years.

A Dunedin lawyer has today admitted being behind a Ponzi scheme where he stole $2.8 million from clients over 21 years.

An elderly couple are "terrified" to be in their own home after thieves followed them from a supermarket and broke in while they slept to steal their Eftpos card.

An insurance broker who shared a kickback with a senior manager at Bunnings Warehouse in order to keep the hardware chain's business has today been found guilty.

A rare Nissan Skyline racing car, valued at $60,000, has been stolen from a rural property in Whangarei.

A senior manager at the Auckland District Health Board and a security guard allegedly stole nearly $385,000 of taxpayers' money.

An Auckland lawyer who admitted stealing almost $300k from three clients has been jailed for two and a half years today.

An illegal immigrant who gained New Zealand residency with a false Australian passport - and was charged with holding three other false passports - is on the run.

Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz, who is currently promoting a new film about a homemade sex tape going public, has called the leak of nude and explicit images of dozens of female celebrities 'a major violation'.

A terrified bank worker allegedly had a machete held to the throat during an armed hold-up this week.

Incubators, beds and $25,000 worth of laundry are among items missing from district health boards in the past year.