Yesterday, his brother said the family were devastated by the loss of the "very social, gregarious" architect, who is survived by twin 17-year-old sons and a 13-year-old daughter.
2. The secret Dotcom papers
Photo / Brett Phibbs
Prime Minister John Key must explain the "political pressure" government officials were under to process Kim Dotcom's residency application, Labour says.
Documents declassified and released through the Official Information Act show the Security Intelligence Service tried to block Kim Dotcom's residency application but dropped their objection 90 minutes after being told there was "political pressure" to let the tycoon into New Zealand.
Read the documents here.
3. Emergency op on ute a lifesaver
Motocross rider Todd Mullinder is alive today because he had emergency surgery on the back of a ute.
The father of three suffered a punctured lung, a crushed chest and head injuries after flipping his motorbike at remote Glinks Gully beach, Kaipara.
Gasping for breath and in agony, Mr Mullinder, 45, from Te Kopuru, could take in limited air only by leaning over a chilly bin.
Without the Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew sent from Auckland, he would almost certainly have died.
"When the doc was trying to treat me on the back of a ute I was in so much pain I tried to give him a kicking," he said. "It took four guys to hold me down while the doctor cut a hole in my side so I could breathe properly. I had to apologise to everyone afterwards."
4. Pistorius tweets about love and pain
South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, on trial for killing his model girlfriend last year, has broken a long social networking silence with a series of tweets on love and pain.
The first tweet on Sunday, South Africa time - his first since February - quoted Psalm 34:18: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted."
The tweets triggered an avalanche of reactions, with some wishing the athlete well while others question his sincerity and call him a "murderer".
5. 'Tongan Thor' eyes Australia
The schoolboy rugby sensation dubbed "the Tongan Thor" says he will move to Australia and chase the gold jersey if he does not get the chance to play for New Zealand.
Taniela Tupou, 18, has had selectors salivating since a video of him bumping off and running over players to score three tries in 20 minutes went viral two months ago.
A popular student and 1st XV player for Auckland's Sacred Heart College, he has just returned from a players' development camp after being selected in the Blues Under-18 squad.
In his first interview, Tupou said he was trying to be the best player he could be. But being told he could not play for the national secondary schools' team because he did not hold a NZ passport had been hard.
"They said that 'if you're not on a New Zealand passport and you've been here for four years, you can play for the team'. But I've been here for four years and they said I can't play for the New Zealand A team. It's not fair."
The teenager grew up in Tonga, but has been in New Zealand since late 2010, attending school and playing rugby.
Although he would take the chance to play for New Zealand in a second, he said, he was starting to look at options across the Tasman, where he had had offers.
- nzherald.co.nz, NZ Herald, APNZ, AFP