The families of two fishermen who drowned at Lake Arapuni say they may never know how their loved ones came to grief.

The trial of a man over the death of Timaru businessman Allan Hubbard in a car crash has been adjourned until July 19.

A truck and trailer rolled in Waikato overnight but the driver was not injured.

The mother of a 12-year-old boy hit by a car as he walked home from school is being chased for damages by the driver's insurance company.

Allan Hubbard died in a head-on car crash caused by his elderly wife, not by the other driver accused of careless driving causing his death, a court has been told.

A mountain biker who plunged 9m to his death was not found until the next day after police decided to call off an area search, a coroner's finding has detailed.

Police were tonight hoping for the first-ever Queen's Birthday weekend without a single road death.

A friend of a teen killed in a Rotorua fire claims the blaze was caused by a Molotov cocktail thrown into the building as partygoers slept.

A hunter has died after falling more than 10m onto rocks from a cable bridge near Hanmer Springs.

Teenagers hospitalised by the factory fire that killed 14-year-old Mihinui Tamiana will be interviewed by police investigating how the blaze started.

Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions after a fatality-free start to Queen's Birthday Weekend.

A fire that ripped through a factory, killing a schoolgirl, is believed to have been caused by a petrol generator bought just weeks ago by teenagers for parties there.

A motorcyclist has been blown off the road as strong winds hinder traffic in the South Island this morning.

Seven people have been injured in a three-car collision in Auckland this afternoon.

Five people have died in crashes on the country's roads already this week, as police brace for Queen's Birthday weekend - a notorious period for road fatalities.

The driver of a vehicle that crashed near Tauranga on Christmas Day 2011, killing two children, has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.

The parts of the country which become more dangerous to travel through during Queen's Birthday weekend have been revealed in a police bid to cut the holiday road toll.

Maori elders blessed the scene of a fatal car crash in South Wairarapa this morning where the body of the 17-year-old crash victim lay covered on the road.

Police are urging motorists to drive to the conditions after three people died on New Zealand's roads within 11 hours in separate crashes.

Two trucks are blocking State Highway 4 in the central North Island following a crash this morning.

One man has died after a head-on crash between two trucks in the Bay of Islands this morning.

A truck was cut in half and debris scattered for 500 metres when it was hit by a train at a rail crossing in Ashburton this morning.

The number of injuries from horse accidents has risen, costing ACC more than $11 million in claims in one year.