Two women jailed for killing Amandeep Singh last year were part of a local culture of females using promises of sex to swindle migrant Indian workers, a defence lawyer says.

Two women accused of killing Indian national Amandeep Singh in Gisborne late last year have each pleaded guilty to a new charge of manslaughter.

Two men who saved a Gisborne man from a blazing car south of Gisborne last week have been described as "a couple of good blokes who wanted to help".

A homicide inquiry is underway after a man was run over several times on the East Coast last night.

Rhythm and Vines co-founder Hamish Pinkham is joining us for a live chat about the iconic music festival he launched with a couple of friends 10 years ago.

A heavily pregnant woman driving to hospital in case she went into labour had to complete the journey by rescue chopper after her car collided with a cow.

An appeal has been lodged against a court decision to evict an 83-year-old woman from the Mahia Peninsula home south of Gisborne where she has lived for more than 40 years.

Charlotte Christie fears driving along the winding Gisborne-to-Wairoa road after writing off her car in a pile-up on a blind bend in which another motorist lost an arm.

A Gisborne woman suffered serious facial injuries in what's been described as a "horrific" attack by two dogs.

A student pilot was lucky to walk away from an emergency landing on an East Cape beach.

A Gisborne family are overnight multi-millionaires after winning more than $6.3 million on Lotto, including the $6m Powerball jackpot, on Saturday.

The Waioeka Gorge between Opotiki and Gisborne has been officially reopened to traffic.

A couple have avoided prison after being found guilty of endangering their baby's life after he died of a cot death, or Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy.

Two women have been charged with the murder of Indian immigrant Amandeep Singh in Gisborne.

About eight hectares of forest has been burned by a blaze in rural Masterton, with crews still on site last night to keep the fire under control.

Court action may be the next step for kiwifruit growers following new research that showed the Psa strain that crippled the industry came from China.

Two women have appeared in Gisborne District Court charged jointly with assaulting Indian national Amandeep Singh - the subject of a homicide inquiry.