Police are warning youngsters who present fake ID they could be charged with fraud as bar owners uncover the latest technique for creating dodgy driving licences.

A teenage girl has been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old who collapsed and died while shopping in Whangarei.

A man who murdered an Auckland man with a thistle grubber has been jailed for life with a non-parole period of 21 years.

House builders and buyers are creating a buzz on Whangarei's Tutukaka coast, as Aucklanders and expats have ramped up purchases of coastal property this year.

A teenager who collapsed and died at The Warehouse in Whangarei on Tuesday was the victim of a stabbing in Onerahi just over three weeks ago.

Police have issued a warning after reports of a man hiding in bushes taking photos of students at a Whangarei school.

A grieving father extended an olive branch of forgiveness to the man who killed his daughter and another driver during an emotional court address.

A Whangarei father has been arrested after police say he slapped his two-year-old daughter several times because she wouldn't shut up and kept demanding her bottle.

A Whangarei motorcyclist is in a serious condition after a collision with a car on State Highway 1 near Waipu.

A Whangarei school teacher dismissed for speaking out against what he called discriminatory comments by his catholic school principal is a keynote speaker at a national marriage equality conference.

A man has been arrested after allegedly firing a high-powered air rifle at passing vehicles on an isolated Whangarei road, with one car carrying a pregnant woman.

Northland's grim road toll continues after a woman was killed when a logging truck, trying to avoid another vehicle, rolled and crushed the car she was a passenger in.

A Northland headmaster has written to John Key about his concerns over banning drug sniffer dogs from schools, saying it is "short-sighted nonsense".

A Whangarei man bashed his former partner unconscious and raped her during a drinking session because he was jealous of others in her life, a jury has heard.

A 17-year-old was "almost disembowelled'' when he was knifed by another teenager at a party in Whangarei yesterday, police say.

The mother of a young woman found dead near a Whangarei bridge says the family have been overwhelmed by support and compassion.

Inadequate training of crew in the use of navigation systems was one of several factors that grounded a navy barge in Whangarei on Waitangi Day, an inquiry finds.