A victim of violence and sexual abuse at the hands of her husband says she stayed with him for more than two decades because he threatened to kill her parents.

The man jailed for two decades for sex and violence offences was a "destructive" influence on Maori/Pakeha relations in the Far North, Labour MP Shane Jones says.

A Far North marae hit by fire this week had been the subject of infighting over a new building on the site, a marae leader says.

The response was swift and pretty much universal: this was appalling, stomach churning, almost certainly criminal, writes Toby Manhire.

There was this woman astride a horse, on a beach, far away at the top of NZ. She moved forward because these were her people's lands and she wouldn't be denied.

A Far North after-school care worker has been charged with child sex abuse.

A man who broke into a woman's home and filmed her as she slept has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of five years.

Elisabeth Easther finds New Zealand's former capital is still a capital place.

Torn between a high-rise holiday and jungle, Tim Roxborough found both in one place.

Finding true north in the Far North, Elisabeth Easther finds plenty there to spin her wheels.

No one has yet been arrested for throwing bleach into a regional council worker's face in a vicious highway attack in the Far North in June.

The body of a man found in the Hokianga Harbour will be released to his family for burial as soon as his identity is confirmed.

A domestic violence victim whose partner took her phone so she couldn't call police managed to raise the alarm via Facebook instead.

Fathers will patrol Kaitaia streets and a community hui will be held to make the town safer after 10 teenage girls were attacked by at least 20 drunk young people.

History was written here, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Four boys were dobbed in by their families after allegedly breaking into a woman's home while her death was being mourned.

A rodent problem in the Far North has compounded concerns for poorer families amid the cold snap, as some children are having to sleep on flimsy mattresses on floors instead of beds.

The Far North's top cop is refuting claims police don't have enough staff to make their new rosters work.

Elisabeth Easther finds a touch of Northland paradise.

Danielle Wright takes her family on a vintage steam train along the main street of a tiny town with a big reputation.

A Far North drug dealer was charged after receiving intercepted text messages from customers complaining about the quality of his product.

A long-running legal battle between a US billionaire and a Far North iwi over a beachfront subdivision has ended up in the Court of Appeal.

A noticeable gang presence is still frustrating community leaders in the Northland community of Moerewa.

In Kaitaia, get sand between your toes and see the sights, says Elisabeth Easther.

Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May toasted the end of their time in New Zealand over a long lunch at the Viaduct.