A man is accused of trying to lure a young girl into his home - prompting four schools to warn their communities about him and sparking outrage among some fearful parents.

A pumpkin the size of a tractor wheel and the weight of two baby elephants made a perfect-sized sofa for Ella Gordon-Scapens.

Jacob Beck-Jaffurs, who was in his final year of medical school, has died after a spear-fishing trip near Tauranga.

A heavily armed police officer stormed a swimming club in the middle of a race last night - making children stand against a wall.

A weekend in Tauranga has a wet theme for Sarah Lawrence who goes kayaking, to a seafood festival, looks for dolphins and visits hot pools.

Few riders had an answer for the strength and raw speed of Mount Maunganui's Cody Cooper on Sunday.

A 41-year-old man has been charged with murder after the death of a 59-year-old woman who was killed while trying to protect her daughter early yesterday morning.

A 59-year-old woman was killed yesterday while trying to protect her daughter from a flash of violence that also left two others injured.

Police have launched a homicide investigation after a woman was killed in Tauranga this morning.

Dev Sangha said he saw his "daughter's blood before his eyes" before he charged at her killer in the High Court at Rotorua today.

The man who admitted murdering a Tauranga mother and her daughter and stashing the 2-year-old girl's body in washing machine has been jailed for a minimum of 20 years.

A restaurant manager created an elaborate scheme so he could steal nearly $140,000 from his employer to feed his gambling addiction.

Chris Langdon's style is influenced by travel - but she still thinks Auckland is the best shopping city in the world.