Latest from New Plymouth

Severe weather eases after person dies in flood clean-up, recovery phase begins
A person died in Wai-iti, south of Nelson, after being hit by a tree yesterday.

'Horrific noise': Woman sleeping next to grandchild as tornado smashes into home
The grandmother heard roof iron 'peeling back' as the tornado hit with 'boom and a bang'.

'I wouldn’t buy Black Power weed': Ex-mobster suffers baton-attack over alleged $25 drug debt
Two Black Power associates went into his home and he was hit around the head with a baton.

Man who abducted a baby when he stole a car claims his actions were 'over-criminalised'
Michael Jai Smith drove away as the child's distraught mother banged on the car's windows.

'His death has had a huge impact': Napier First XV's inspiration
Coach Willie Tran praised his team's character after a tough first half.

Lost their way: Auckland Grammar fall to Sacred Heart in tough contest
Christchurch Boys' High won a thrilling match against St Thomas 61-40.

Numbers revealed for tonight's $25m Powerball jackpot
It's time to check your ticket for the winning numbers.

Sunshine follows chilly start before wet weather returns for Matariki
One South Island spot fell into the double figures below zero this morning.

Why Rotorua's First XV victory over Hamilton is one for the ages
King's College celebrated a 23-17 victory over Auckland Grammar, securing the Cooper-Greenbank Cup.

Search continues for New Plymouth woman missing for two nights
Jan was last seen walking north along State Highway 3.

Aucklanders brace for stormy wake-up as thunder, lightning lash NI's west
A puff of chilly air will blanket NZ this weekend – but not as cold as last Saturday.

Attack victim faced possible amputation after dog 'ripped' chunk from his leg, 'ate it' in front of him
The man was at the property to fix a car when Boogi the dog lunged and bit his leg.

Taupō businessman to face trial on rape, bribery charges
The man is one of three accused of trying to bribe the complainant.

First XV wrap: Scoreboard drama as Sacred Heart clinch last-gasp victory
Palmerston North edged Hamilton 21-19, their first win since 2011.

Wellington leads in income, South Island shines in low unemployment
Wellington now ranks high in housing affordability due to falling prices.

New self-service petrol station targets Whangārei's high prices
The Porowini Ave U-GO opening Tuesday will be the first outside of Auckland.

Ryan Bridge: NZ is littered with well-intentioned actions that ended in a balls-up
OPINION: New Plymouth's $3.8m cycleway features blocks dubbed 'Tim Tams' by locals.

Road cone hotline receives 236 reports in four days, Auckland gets the most
WorkSafe dealt with a flurry of reports on the first day before numbers plateaued.

Q&A: Ockham award-winner on her hometown, social media and making dreams happen
Rotorua-raised Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku won the Non-Fiction Award for her memoir, Hine Toa.

'It's all made up': Man in BDSM relationship shuts down rape claims
A judge said the couple’s relationship could be considered 'outside the norm or even odd'.

School's shearing and woolhandling contest a hit
The school held its own version of the iconic Golden Shears championships.