A teen's mother has raised concerns about beauty pageant organisers trawling social networking sites seeking pretty contestants.

A West Auckland principal is taking a zero-tolerance attitude to unruly students at his new school - and winning hearts and minds in the process.

Just over a quarter of teachers have limited or no understanding of how national standards work, despite the new system being introduced in primary and intermediate schools.

A woman who fled an alcohol checkpoint and caused a crash that killed Penelope Phillips, above, has been sentenced to home detention.

Triathlete Aaron Barclay produced a wire-to-wire performance to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore yesterday.

Kiwi parents' biggest fear is that their children will spiral into drug and alcohol addiction, a survey has found.

The 18-year-old who fell from a central Auckland car parking building denies she had taken Ecstasy.

The ongoing case of a Wanganui teen beauty queen forced to surrender her crown for darkening her hair.

An MIT student found a unique way to cover the costs of his tuition.

Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples says he is disgusted by a rugby tournament banning performances of the haka.

Hamilton police are praising neighbours for helping to catch brother and sister burglars yesterday.

Dealers are competing "like Pepsi and Coke" to sell ecstasy, says the NZ Drug Foundation, and users are rating their experiences on the web.

Two Takapuna Grammar students have been stood down after a fight, allegedly fuelled by racist taunts, which was videoed and sent around school.

A North Shore 18-year-old is lucky to be alive after falling multiple storeys from a carpark building during a night of drinking and taking Ecstasy.