A Northland headmaster has written to John Key about his concerns over banning drug sniffer dogs from schools, saying it is "short-sighted nonsense".

A Whangarei man bashed his former partner unconscious and raped her during a drinking session because he was jealous of others in her life, a jury has heard.

A 17-year-old was "almost disembowelled'' when he was knifed by another teenager at a party in Whangarei yesterday, police say.

The mother of a young woman found dead near a Whangarei bridge says the family have been overwhelmed by support and compassion.

Inadequate training of crew in the use of navigation systems was one of several factors that grounded a navy barge in Whangarei on Waitangi Day, an inquiry finds.

Items used to manufacture methamphetamine were found inside a rubbish bin kept in a wardrobe in a home where two children were living, a court has been told.

New Zealand Navy Band members' personal possessions were stolen during a weekend break-in while the band was taking part in a military parade through Whangarei.

Firefighters working to rescue a teen who had a motorcycle gear lever embedded in his leg had to erect a wall of sand as they tried to cut him free.

A coroner has ruled on the true identity of the cat handler mauled to death by a tiger at a Whangarei wildlife park in 2009.

It took up to 10 shots from a shotgun and rifle to kill a tiger that fatally attacked a handler at Whangarei's Zion Wildlife Park, a coroner's hearing has heard.

An undercover police officer bought marijuana seedlings from a Switched on Gardner employee inside the company's Tauranga shop, a court has been told.

A big-cat handler fatally mauled to death by a tiger did not see a need to lock the animal away while cleaning its enclosure, a coronial inquest has heard.

A tiger that killed a big cat handler at the Zion Wildlife Park had attacked another man a month or so before it fatally mauled Dalu MnCube, an inquest has heard.

Switched On Gardener was described as a 'one stop shop' for cannabis growing equipment today, as the trial of five people associated with the gardening chain begins.

A Northland science teacher dismissed after he supported a gay rights protest at the Catholic school is considering legal action.

The brother of Dalu Mncube, who was fatally mauled by a tiger, hopes a coroner's inquest recommends better prevention and protection measures for zookeepers.