A Whangarei couple who between them stole more than $72,000 from taxpayers by making false statements to get benefits have been sentenced to home detention.

A Whangarei man who bashed another in a random act of street thuggery and stole petrol five times has avoided jail mainly thanks to the efforts of his lawyer.

A Northland family hope the tragic death of Patricia Ann McGrath will not be in vain but may raise awareness about domestic violence.

Hours after Whangarei woman Patricia McGrath was fatally injured in a domestic dispute, her sister-in-law made a plea to the family not to take matters into their own hands.

A Whangarei mother of two has died in hospital after a domestic dispute and more serious charges are likely to be laid against the man accused of assaulting her.

Police cordoned off a Northland house following an alleged assault which left a woman critically injured in hospital.

The hunt for a super-sized Santa missing from atop a Thai restaurant in Whangarei is still continuing.

Enjoying a coffee and some lunch in the sun this summer just got more pleasant for customers at one ground-breaking Whangarei cafe.

Cameron Leslie has put on 6kg in three months and he's loving it.

Family members of a Northland father and son caught in rough weather when their jetski broke down headed back out to retrieve the jetski after the rescue.

A Whangarei family has been shattered by thieves who stole Christmas presents and frozen meat during a day-time burglary.

A transgender prisoner has been ordered to serve her sentence in a men's prison, not on home detention as requested.

A judge has warned parents whose children are being abused, threatened or intimidated not to take the law into their own hands.

Emergency services were called to the property on Finlayson Brook Rd in Waipu just before 9.30am where the fire was well involved, said a Northern Fire Communications spokesman.

Police want to catch an "idiot" who put a crude, homemade pipe bomb into a skip bin behind a business, prompting bomb disposal experts to race to the city.

Police are warning youngsters who present fake ID they could be charged with fraud as bar owners uncover the latest technique for creating dodgy driving licences.

A teenage girl has been charged with the murder of a 17-year-old who collapsed and died while shopping in Whangarei.

A man who murdered an Auckland man with a thistle grubber has been jailed for life with a non-parole period of 21 years.

House builders and buyers are creating a buzz on Whangarei's Tutukaka coast, as Aucklanders and expats have ramped up purchases of coastal property this year.

A teenager who collapsed and died at The Warehouse in Whangarei on Tuesday was the victim of a stabbing in Onerahi just over three weeks ago.

Police have issued a warning after reports of a man hiding in bushes taking photos of students at a Whangarei school.

A grieving father extended an olive branch of forgiveness to the man who killed his daughter and another driver during an emotional court address.

A Whangarei father has been arrested after police say he slapped his two-year-old daughter several times because she wouldn't shut up and kept demanding her bottle.

A Whangarei lunch bar and an office have been badly smoke-damaged after a deliberately-lit fire.

Police are investigating after a 17-year-old collapsed and died in a Whangarei store today.