Parents are watching their children closely in Palmerston North this morning while the man who abducted a 5-year-old girl remains on the loose.

A 50-year-old woman who was assaulted in Hamilton earlier this week has died in hospital, sparking a homicide inquiry.

Three people have been pulled out of the water in Raglan, after their boat overturned on the bar.

A Rotorua woman has been winched out of the Whakarewarewa Forest after a serious mountain bike accident.

An 18-year-old female and a 47-year-old male have died following a head-on collision south of Whanganui.

A Northland woman was home alone when, at 2 o'clock this morning, she heard footsteps on her deck.

Police are looking for a good Samaritan named Kate who helped another woman in Wellington.

A Bay of Plenty hotel was held up at gunpoint, with an armed man threatening drinkers and making off with the night's takings.

Napier's mayor has defended the city's much-criticised $700,000 "pier to nowhere".

One man is dead and another is in custody following a suspected homicide just north of Whangarei tonight.

Neighbours have described the moment a search turned to tragedy when a 1-year-old boy was found drowned last night.

Man accused of faking qualifications has been denied bail after being caught allegedly trying to flee the country.

Jaden Lee Stroobant charged with murdering and sexually violating Cun Tian in her home.

Geoffroy de Saint Germain took a big breath and dived back under the water for a third time, knowing it would be his last shot to save a drowning man.

A person whose fireworks led to a large blaze at Paritutu Rock on Friday night has been tracked down by police.

The motorcycle community is shocked and saddened after losing one of its members in a fatal crash involving a tourist driver in Hawkes Bay yesterday.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the sudden death of a man despite initial reports of a neighbour claiming she heard someone yelling "I killed him".

A teenager is in hospital with critical head injuries, after falling off a cliff on Auckland's North Shore.

A large fire in New Plymouth is thought to have been started by fireworks.

An unconscious man has been found in a critical condition in Auckland Domain overnight.

An attempt to firebomb Social Development Minister Anne Tolley's office to protest the TPP is likely to result in arrests, she says.

Mother's grief as man who ended her daughter's life sentenced to 250 hours community work.

Hundreds of locals and emergency service workers attended the funeral of Anne Talijancich, who died in a road crash on Saturday.

Did you get off the bus in Henderson and find your wallet was a light a couple of bills?

WATCH: An Auckland man has footage of a driver who damaged his motorcycle in a hit-and-run incident - and he wants your help to identify him.

Armed Offenders Squad hunting for man who riddled police car with bullets.

More arrests have been made in relation to the murder of Lee Rata on New Year's Eve in Kaitaia.

An elderly woman who fell asleep at the wheel veered off a road and crashed in to a ditch in Hawke's Bay.