A man who admitted causing the death of a motorist can't remember what happened in the few seconds his car veered across State Highway 1 last year.

A small bay in Northland could be filled in to create a boat ramp to accommodate the number of boats launched off the beach over a few weeks in summer.

A giant petrel taken back to sea after being rescued on a west coast beach was in no hurry to test its freedom - the bird hung around the release boat for two hours before finally deciding to fly away.

An off-duty policeman tailed a stolen car until other officers and armed offenders squad members stopped and arrested the man who was wanted after a knife-point robbery.

Police have carried out a blitz on truancy in Whangarei, where nearly a third of students at some schools are absent at any given time.

The outcome of a Human Rights Commission complaint by a lesbian couple who say they were discriminated against when a Whangarei lodge would not let them share a bed will only be made public if both sides agree.

A Whangarei accountant has been suspended and ordered to pay $8000 after he misled the public by claiming to be a chartered accountant on his website.

A Whangarei taxi driver was taken aback by the generosity of a young man who returned to pay his fare - nearly a week after doing a runner.

A man has serious injuries to his head and body after being attacked with a chainsaw.

A Northland couple are outraged and hurt at being denied accommodation at the Pilgrim Planet Lodge because of "who we are".

A criminal who bashed and robbed a Whangarei liquor store worker left a vital clue behind for police - his wallet.

A 43-year-old woman collapsed and died on a 10m launch near Whangarei this morning, despite attempts to revive her with CPR.

A sentencing judge has told two methamphetamine suppliers they were dealing "one of the most evil drugs known to man".

A puppy rescued by a Whangarei SPCA worker is now saving lives by sniffing out explosives in some of the world's war-torn danger spots.

Whangarei police want help tracking down a man involved in a "sinister" attack on a woman as she entered her home after a night out.

Six siblings have been jailed for bashing a couple during a violent home invasion which involved a machete and in which a 14-year-old boy was knocked unconscious.

A man arrested after armed police were called to what is understood to have been a domestic incident in Whangarei will appear in court today.

Police were called to Whangarei Falls after a visitor reported seeing a child's limb floating in a pool, but it turned out to be part of a baby doll.

A Whangarei solo mum has resorted to stealing to feed her children, while another gets more money on the benefit than any job she can get in the region, a beneficiary support worker says.

Kids at Kamo Primary School at the northern end of Whangarei are split down the middle over an offer of free milk from New Zealand's biggest company, Fonterra.

Sydney police are hunting an "armed and dangerous" man after former Whangarei man Lance Hargreaves was stabbed to death near the factory at which he worked.