A man arrested for stealing a police patrol car over the weekend has admitted he didn't realise what type of vehicle it was - despite its flashing light.

A man fled a crash scene in stolen police car while officers struggled to arrest a repeat drunk driver who hid in a bed at a nearby house.

A teenage girl and a man have been arrested over the theft of a cache of firearms in Hamilton this week.

Loud moviegoers will be shown the door and latecomers turned away under a "no disturbance" policy at a new Hamilton cinema.

A routine vehicle stop in Hamilton by police has netted thousands of dollars and a large quantity of a controlled drug.

A woman and her young nephew had a lucky escape after their home caught fire, causing severe damage to almost half the house.

A Chinese woman involved in a gambling scam with her ex-boyfriend and a casino worker that stole more than $50,000 has avoided a jail sentence but will be deported.

A psychiatric assistant who forced a young autistic patient to the ground and held him in a head lock was justifiably dismissed, the ERA rules.

A pizza delivery driver was lured to a vacant Hamilton house where he was bashed with a metal bar last night, police say.

It's all hands on deck as Hamilton's hospitality industry pulls together for its biggest night of the year the Super Rugby grand final.

A man has denied raping a woman during a kidnap but the Crown says he was "10,000,000,000,000,000 times likely" to be a contributor to crucial DNA evidence.

Hamilton is getting set for its biggest night of the year when the Chiefs host the Brumbies for their second Super 15 rugby grand final appearance at home in two years.

A 19-year-old woman's body was found off the coast of Raglan early this morning after her family raised grave concerns for her welfare.

An elderly man's death in his Hamilton home is no longer being treated as suspicious following a post-mortem examination yesterday.

A woman has been charged with kidnapping after allegedly trying to make off with a 10-year-old boy near a Hamilton school yesterday.

A Hamilton radio personality - sick of his fiance being leered at and heckled - wants action to address antisocial behaviour in the central city's plaza.

The free lessons will be offered once a year to Tauranga and Hamilton AA members, who can use them themselves or pass them on to a person of choice.

Neighbours have described being woken by screaming, then stepping out into the night to see a young man yelling "He's dead, he's dead".

Police are working to identify a person found dead after a house fire in Hamilton today.

Elisabeth Easther revisited her hometown for a refreshing outdoor experience.

Hamilton's river and gardens put you in the mood for wonderful walking It's a 45-minute walk around Hamilton Lake.

Liz Light visits Fieldays, the biggest, fattest farmers' market in the Southern Hemisphere.