NZ@Noon: Sports stars turned saviour

Chiefs player Nathan Harris (left) and Strength and Conditioning Coach Phil Healey get ready to throw Chiefs team mate Toni Pulu. Photo/supplied

Sport stars rally together to help a little boy in Tauranga and a priceless pounamu is restored to a Rotorua grave - just two of the stories making headlines around the regions today.

The Chiefs are rallying to raise funds for a 5-year-old boy in Tauranga.

The pounamu waka stolen from a woman's Rotorua grave has been returned.

A Hawke's Bay woman has had her own version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition this week.

Purple porcelain is being used by a Whangarei team in an effort to flush out cancer.

A Wairarapa man has a new lease on life after enduring a 'revolutionary' cancer treatment.

River levels are dropping and fire restrictions are ramping up as the wider Wanganui region dries out.

In Auckland police are investigating after Maori carvings were deliberately damaged in an arson attack.

And finally, some Kaikohe residents appear to be unaware that there is only one Transport Act - some vehicles around town have been spotted sporting alternative registration plates and documentation.