Latest fromWhangarei

'All sorts of destruction': Tornado strikes Hamilton, thunderstorms buffet upper north
Civil Defence warned Waikato weather remains 'highly dynamic'.

McDonald's gets green light for Ōrākei site despite objections
The new application had 381 submissions, of which 331 were against the project.

PM Luxon open to ‘Anzac’ visit to Ukraine amid Russian war
Luxon says he'd ideally tee up other meetings in Europe to pair with a potential visit.

Police Commissioner says controversial shoplifting directive 'inconsistent with his expectations'
The directive sparked backlash, giving the impression lawbreakers had a free pass.

'She told me lies': Luxury resort CEO says ex-manager's actions were 'terrifying'
Operations manager Belle Mumby allegedly forged CEO Jing Ma's signature to claim overtime.

Police directive on $500 thefts sparks call for urgent clarification
Retailers are seeking clarity on police directives about low-value theft.

Heart patients worse off in Northland than Auckland – specialist
Health NZ data show huge variations in wait times between regions.

'It's just so serious': Teen set residential home on fire after fight over his phone
Greenway Trust in Dargaville supports individuals with intellectual disabilities.

‘Beautiful darling’: Northland toddler allegedly murdered is identified
Catalya Remana Tangimetua Pepene, 3, died last Wednesday.

Rest home romance: Wedding bells chime for 99-year-old bride
Dennam and Felicia wed at rest home, proving love has no age limit.

Editorial: Council rates are the tax we love to hate
OPINION: The only certainties in life are death and taxes – and both are expensive.

'I don't know how many I scored': Woodman-Wickliffe after creating Black Ferns history
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe became the Black Ferns' all time leading try-scorer.

Power shift: How Meridian's $186m battery will influence energy market
Meridian's Ruakākā Bess is NZ's first large-scale grid battery storage system.

Woman charged $5.1m to track down former lover and stolen family fortune
He promised to invest the money but took it to Italy and disappeared.

As a new mum, Ella Becroft was primed to love her kids - nothing prepared her for what happened next
A 'body horror' theatre show on the mundanity and monstrosity of early motherhood.

Accused pleads not guilty to murder of 'beloved mother' in Whangārei park
Yvonne Chapman, 66, was shot at Onerahi's Beach Rd public reserve in February.

Murder charge laid over Northland man's death, police seek further information
Police are still seeking sightings of a 1999 blue and silver Mitsubishi L200.

Investigation under way after 'unexplained' death of 3-year-old girl
Police say a post-mortem will be carried out over the next couple of days.

$10k shoplifting spree: Two of Auckland's allegedly most prolific offenders arrested
One man faces seven charges, with three valued at over $1000, in Waitākere Court.

The Doctors Bayfair opens new 'purpose-built' medical practice
The new space allows staff to better support the needs of the 'rapidly growing' community.

Fetishes, arrests and vomit: Kiwis dish on their worst dates ever
From waters breaking to barefoot serenades, Kiwi singletons reveal their dates gone wrong.