Parishioners shocked, saddened by statue's theft

The body of ill-fated Francie skipper Bill McNatty has been returned to his family.

Two more bodies have been recovered this morning following a fishing charter boat sinking on the Kaipara Harbour, taking the toll to seven with one person still missing.

Babies don't follow plans and little Esme Keene is no exception. She arrived before her dad managed to get her mum to hospital.

It was a wild day of weather for the upper North Island yesterday, but what will today bring?

One person has been airlifted to hospital after the ute they were in rolled at a beach north of Auckland this afternoon. Emergency

Officers spent an hour trying to get the 47-year-old man, who was believed to have been under the influence of drugs, out of the pools at Parakai Springs.

The Prime Minister has visited more than three times as many high decile schools this year, than low decile.

NZ Post has moved to reassure people their post is safe, following a number of incidents.

A fire that engulfed an Auckland home this evening has now been extinguished.

Elisabeth Easther takes a journey back in time to a small town steeped in history.

It's a short drive from the city but Helensville is a world away from the demands of Sarah Ell's children.

An adventurous or possibly hopelessly lost seal gallivanted about on a farm Helensville yesterday, prompting a police call-out.

A postie who stockpiled nearly 2000 pieces of mail at his house has been sacked from the job.

Live updates from the first public debate in the Epsom electorate, where National is urging its supporters to give their electorate votes to Act.

'Do you want to leave now?' asked the host of last night's Helensville debate of Prime Minister John Key - who came closest to being kicked out.

A subdivision for 60 houses at Helensville is being criticised by youth lobby group Generation Zero as a bad case of urban sprawl and costly for ratepayers.

Police believe a property in Onehunga may hold clues that could assist a murder investigation more than 20 years old.

Two skydivers jumped from a plane shortly before it crashed into a line of trees.

Police have had a good response to the $50,000 reward posted for information leading to the killer of Jane Furlong.

Police have confirmed that the driver killed in a crash at Helensville with her young nephews yesterday did not have a licence.

Two children - a baby and an 11-year-old boy - and their young aunt were killed in a crash that also left their 6-year-old sister and a man fighting for their lives.

The boyfriend of murdered teenager Jane Furlong has refused to speak to police since her body was found, but the officer in charge of the investigation hopes a $50,000 reward will "loosen" others who hold important information.

A woman, an 11-year-old boy and a baby have died and two other people are seriously injured after a two-car collision near Auckland.

Police investigating the homicide of Auckland teen Jane Furlong are offering a $50,000 reward to help solve her 1993 murder.

Police are cracking down on cannabis growers north of Auckland, seizing hundreds of plants from a number of properties in the last few weeks.