A man charged with setting his wife on fire at a rural Waikato roadside before fleeing for Fiji with his son will plead not guilty to her murder.

Last year, 12 people died in nine separate crashes over the Easter break - this year, there have been no deaths.

The winner of half of the biggest Lotto Powerball first division prize is still to collect the riches.

The Prime Minister has been accused of inappropriately "commandeering" the air force to get to photo opportunities and exclusive events after using an Air Force Iroquois to get to the V8s in Hamilton and back to Auckland.

nzherald.co.nz brings live updates of the second feature race of the ITM400 V8 Supercars event in Hamilton.

V8 Supercars chief executive Martin Whitaker is sure the category's future in New Zealand is strong.

Rick Kelly held out in a tight finish today to claim victory in a treacherous and drama-filled race one of the Hamilton round.

Live coverage from the ITM 400 V8 Supercars first race in Hamilton - top qualified Kiwi is Shane van Gisbergen in fourth.

Holden's Jamie Whincup will start from pole position in this afternoon's 200km race at the Hamilton V8 Supercar event.

Defending Hamilton 400 titleholder Jamie Whincup is expecting a "pretty crazy" day tomorrow if the expected rain arrives.