A bystander was bashed in the head with a pillowcase stuffed with a rock or brick after catching a burglar in the act in Paeroa last night.

A New Zealand Herald delivery driver could have survived an early morning crash today if he had been wearing his seatbelt, police say.

A Waikato farm development company - Dairy Solutionz - will open a 117ha, 300-cow demonstration dairy in the Narino region of south Colombia tomorrow.

Michelle Coursey finds the ideal way to get away from it all in the peaceful haven that is Kawhia.

Explore the River Trails, embrace the lake and let the young ones play freely while you unwind — this is old school cool, says Elisabeth Easther.

Animal care workers in Morrinsville have been left dumbfounded after a cat and its kittens were found covered in human faeces.

A driver is is dead and at least two other people are injured after a three-car crash in Eastern Waikato today.

Waikato police are appealing for motorists to slow down after eight crashes in the district since 8am today.

The father of a man who was found dead in the Waikato River has lashed out at a mental health facility following the escape of two more men.

The public are being warned to stay away from two men with a history of violence who have escaped from a Waikato mental health facility.

The family of a toddler who almost drowned after falling into an effluent trap have thanked the public for all their "love and support".

A man who died after crashing his car into a tree in the Waikato on Thursday morning has been named by police.

A 16-year-old youth was seriously injured after the car he was in rolled in a Waikato paddock.

Two people have been arrested after allegedly stealing motorbikes worth tens of thousands of dollars from a Waikato business.

A man who died after crashing his car into a tree in the Waikato was not wearing a seatbelt, police say.

A teenage German tourist has today admitted careless driving after a crash on the West Coast caused by his driving on the wrong side of the road.

Images from the Balloons Over Waikato event, which runs until this Sunday.

The family of a man whose body was found in the Waikato River have made a precedent-setting plea for legal funding to investigate his death.

A teenage driver on a learner's licence lost control and careered into a group of students waiting for a school bus in Waikato this morning.

A young man who apparently drank too much at a party fell up to 15m down a Waikato River bank after going outside to be sick.

A car has flipped while towing a trailer with another car in it on a motorway south of Auckland this afternoon.

A young girl has suffered a head injury after her hair caught in a go-kart yesterday, in what was described as an "unusual incident".

Danielle Wright enjoys the magic of Balloons Over Waikato in Hamilton.

A German tourist driver involved in a head-on collision on the yesterday has been charged with careless driving causing injury.

A man's body was discovered face down in shallow water alongside the Waikato River this morning.

A tourist allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road hit another car head-on on the State Highway 6 Coast Road between Greymouth and Westport this morning.

The family of a man whose body was found in the Waikato River last week claim he was the victim of "medical and bureaucratic malpractice".