A close friend of missing Australian tennis coach Paul Arber says a sighting of him in the Waikato River early on Sunday has given him hope that he is still alive.

Hamilton mayor Julie Hardaker says people are over the fluoridation issue and just want decisions made about their drinking water.

Hamilton City Council will vote today on whether to keep the city's water fluoride free, or to put the chemical back in.

A man is dead after being involved in an alcohol-fuelled brawl at a Waikato property yesterday.

Work and Income New Zealand has apologised to a woman with a debilitating medical condition for placing her on a benefit requiring her to find work.

A woman ran over her partner several times with a car in front of stunned onlookers at Hamilton shops before fleeing from police and crashing into the Waikato River today.

A Canadian tourist suffered serious facial injuries when a fence post smashed through the windscreen of his car in a crash on Hamilton's southern outskirts last night.

Community social housing projects in Wellington, Tauranga and Hamilton have been announced by Housing Minister Nick Smith.

Two men were assaulted by a group of teenagers in Hamilton overnight in what police called a "cowardly attack".

A forensic examination into the suspicious death of a teenage girl in Hamilton yesterday has raised more questions than it has answered, police say.

A young pilot is in "deep shock" after crashing a light plane into another shortly after take off this morning on his very first solo flight.

A forensic examination into the death of a young Hamilton woman has raised more questions than it has answered for officers investigating her death.

The country is in for a mixed bag of weather over Labour Weekend, with sun, wind and rain predicted.

A man who kidnapped a woman and held her captive in a Hamilton shed has been jailed for nearly three years.

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.

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 bus driver and members of the public stepped in to stop five youths attacking a man for his cellphone in Hamilton.

A Hamilton dairy owner will appear in court accused of selling synthetic cannabis in the country's first such case since new legislation came in last month.

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.