Friends of a 12-year-old almost killed when he fell through a skylight on a Palmerston North school roof were "distraught as hell" when police arrived.

Two heroes jumped into a swollen North Island river to save the life of a woman swept away.

A woman stranded in the swollen Manawatu River was rescued by a quick-thinking bystander and a firefighter.

Police were called to a house last night after a man reported being shot.

Eight men stationed at Linton Military Camp were hospitalised after taking an "unknown substance". Police are investigating.

A sex offender could spend the rest of his life in jail after he was sentenced today for a spate of attacks and sex crimes including rape.

A woman died after a crash between a motorcycle and a car on Sunday afternoon, taking the weekend's road toll to five.

The family of a dead teenager are upset that their local council have attempted to cover his headstone, which bears song titles containing expletives.

The whanau of a 13-year old girl have spoken of how her death last year has left them "with shattered dreams, struggling, broken, and torn apart".

The two victims who died tragically during a house fire in Exeter Crescent, Palmerston North early on Thursday have been named.

This small North Island city is home to more than 100 cultures, finds Elisabeth Easther.

Officials have cleared a childhood centre of wrongdoing after two pre-schoolers unbolted a gate and wandered across a busy road.

The motivations of a man who fired shots at two Palmerston North police stations last night remain unclear, police say.

A police officer's bizarre Satanic assault claim that shocked New Zealand in 1996 is headed for the small screen.

A man whose body was found outside a block of flats in Palmerston North last week has been identified as Samuel Peter Culling.

Police are moving into the second phase of a homicide investigation after a man's body was found outside a Manawatu block of units yesterday.

A homicide investigation is underway in Manawatu following the discovery of a body outside a block of units this morning.

Pupils at a Palmerston North school have paid an emotional and touching tribute to a well-respected teacher who died last week.

A man has been arrested after a gun was fired during a fight in Waitarere Beach last night.

Motorists braved flames to free a driver and three passengers from a burning vehicle involved in a fatal crash near Palmerston North.

A person is believed to be dead after two cars crashed and one caught fire near Palmerston North today.

A Manawatu man was seriously injured when he was struck by a motorcyclist in a hit and run incident over the weekend.

Peter Dunne spoke on the issue on NewstalkZB this morning, the United Future leader was cautiously in favour of fluoride.

A man is dead after a shooting in Palmerston North last night. A police spokesman said the shooting occurred on Bradford Place in Awapuni around 7pm.

Police want to speak to the driver of a van after two people died in a head-on crash on State Highway Three near Marton this afternoon.