Emergency services say a small child who was trapped in a car that had hit a power pole south of Tauranga was taken to hospital, but later died.

Four commissioners have been appointed to decide whether a resource consent should be granted allowing part of the Rena wreck to remain on Astrolabe Reef.

A pedestrian has died near Tauranga, one man was found dead in his car near Palmerston North and four people were injured in a head-on collision in south Waikato.

Tauranga police are investigating a suspicious fire which occurred in Tareha Lane in Te Maunga last night.

A suspicious item evacuated Tauranga Port this morning and sparked a call-out for police and the Defence Force.

A father and his young son remain in Tauranga Hospital after falling 100m down a cliff on Saturday.

The distraught boss of a 27-year-old man killed in a head-on collision says his employee volunteered to take his place on a business trip.

A father and son are recovering in hospital after falling some 100m down a cliff near Tauranga yesterday.

One person is confirmed dead and six others are injured after two trucks and an SUV towing a trailer collided tonight in Western Bay of Plenty.

An employer says he's embarrassed, but wants other business owners to beware, after one of his workers charged with handling - and monitoring - finances stole $146k.

The court appearance for a man accused of firing shots in residential Papamoa last week has been deferred until next month.

A man with an iron rod poking out of his head drove to the only open shop in a small North Island town and calmly walked up to the counter to raise the alarm.

A 23-year-old man was left with an iron bar lodged in his head after being viciously attacked in the Bay of Plenty overnight.

Two sharks, believed to be bronze whalers, made their presence felt at Papamoa Beach yesterday, causing several swimmers to make a quick dash to shore.

A man caught on camera riding on a car's roof was doing the same "stupid" act that has killed two people in the Bay of Plenty in the past 10 years, police warn.

The first baby born in Bethlehem on Christmas Day was not a boy in a manger but a little girl in the Bay of Plenty.

NZ’s maritime authority is investigating how shipping around our coasts can be made safer, as a high-level report into the grounding of the Rena reveals a catalogue of issues.

The findings of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission's investigation into the catastrophic grounding of the MV Rena, released today, detailed a list of concerns, including those around crew training and international conventions.

Two men are due to appear in court today charged with murder following the death of a 19-year-old man in Tauranga last month.

The so-called "hitman" in the case against Phil Rudd says the AC/DC drummer offered him $250,000 and a luxury car to become his bodyguard.

A police officer's actions in restraining a 14-year-old boy by putting his arm up his back and choking him was excessive and contrary to law, IPCA finds.

A motorcyclist has died after a collision with a digger in Tauranga overnight.

The case against AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd has been made public and includes claims he threatened to kill a man and his daughter.

An eyewitness to an altercation involving AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd today says the rocker was warned: "Back up. I don't want to break your face."

A man accused of stabbing another person in an incident believed to be related to the find of a man’s body in a Tauranga driveway has appeared in court.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd is defending charges against him including one of threatening to kill.

AC/DC rocker Phil Rudd's son has been discharged without conviction on two counts of assault, despite police concerns he tried to use his dad's fame to get off the charges.