Devon Hacche's mother may never hear her son speak or see him breathe unassisted after the 8-month-old swallowed a button battery, burning the inside of his throat.

A young child has been seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway in Tauranga today.

Large plumes of black smoke from a commercial building fire in central Tauranga could be seen rising above the city's skyline this morning.

A 33-year-old man arrested over an alleged hit and run in Welcome Bay Rd has appeared in court facing one count of murder.

A man died last night after he was struck in an apparent hit-and-run on Welcome Bay Rd near Tauranga at about 11pm.

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.

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.

The driver of a light truck who died in a three-vehicle collision on State Highway 2 in Tauranga yesterday has been named by police.

'That's ratepayer money, it's just unbelievable'. Last week Tauranga City Council put in a $64k traffic island. This week it ripped it up.

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 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.

The firefighter who rescued a kitten trapped in the dashboard of a Tauranga car has been described as the "finest cat whisperer".

New Zealand's maritime authority is investigating how shipping around our coasts can be made safer, after a high-level report into the Rena grounding.

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.