Latest fromTaranaki
![Boy badly burned after explosion](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Boy badly burned after explosion
A 12-year-old boy suffered serious burns when a petrol container he was carrying burst into flames and then exploded. He's been flown by rescue helicopter to Waikato Hospital where his condition is described as...
!['Great deal' done to ensure hostage safety, say police](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
'Great deal' done to ensure hostage safety, say police
Police say 'a great deal' of work had gone into ensuring the safety of a woman taken hostage by a her former partner, who had just finished serving time for trying to cut her throat.
![Siege gunman a repeat offender](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Siege gunman a repeat offender
The man shot dead by police yesterday had just got out of jail for trying to cut the throat of the woman he held hostage.
![Hostage drama gunman shot dead](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Hostage drama gunman shot dead
A man police shot dead after he took a woman hostage at gunpoint at a Taranaki Hotel overnight was released from jail last week. Police this afternoon named him as Anthony Ratahi, 46, from Stratford.
![Terrible twister sucks out teen's room](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Terrible twister sucks out teen's room
Chenye Hughes was asleep in her conservatory when a tornado tore through her New Plymouth...
![Taranaki starts tornado clean-up](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Taranaki starts tornado clean-up
Firefighters have been working flat out in New Plymouth today assessing the damage after two tornadoes tore through the city early this morning.
![Woman missing in New Plymouth located](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Woman missing in New Plymouth located
Police say an elderly woman who sneaked out of a New Plymouth rest home, checked herself into a motel for the night.
![Country singer in smash](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Country singer in smash
A country music singer was killed when his car was sliced in two by a double-decker truck yesterday.
![Fatal crash closes section of SH3](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Fatal crash closes section of SH3
One person is dead after a crash involving a truck and a car on State Highway 3 south of Uruti this morning.
![Sending a gift horse to the knacker's yard](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=876)
Sending a gift horse to the knacker's yard
Apparently, rocking horses around New Zealand have been gradually culled from playgrounds in recent years.