New Zealand Herald - National

Police stop 'blind' driver on motorway
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:43:02 +1200 - Police in Canterbury are urging drivers to scrape the ice of their windscreens after stopping one speeding motorist with virtually zero visibility. Canterbury traffic manager Derek Erasmus said the motorist was stopped doing 90km/h...

Former insurance company boss pleads guity to $3 million fraud
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:36:06 +1200 - Former insurance company managing director Blair John Fitzsimons, today pleaded guilty to eight charges involving the embezzlement of $3 million which almost sent a Napier company broke last year. Fitzsimons, 40, was managing director...

Ex-fireman frees trapped man
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:11:46 +1200 - A retired Westport fireman freed a man trapped under a four-wheel drive this morning after hearing screams for help. Courier operators Colin Craddock and his wife Bubsy had just arrived home when they heard the screams from their...

Greymouth community infected by norovirus
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:11:25 +1200 - There has been an outbreak of the highly infectious gastro-intestinal norovirus in parts of the Greymouth community, the West Coast District Health Board says. Public health officer Vern Newcombe said today lab tests had confirmed...

Stolen medals due back in museum soon
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:12:02 +1200 - The priceless collection of war medals stolen from the Waiouru Army Museum late last year is expected to be back at home soon, with plans under way for an October return to the museum . The collection of 96 medals, including nine...

Who hasn't urinated in public? Napier teen asks
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:09:43 +1200 - NAPIER - A Napier teenager dubbed "the Piddler on the Roof" after being caught on security camera urinating into a pay and park meter claimed today he only did it once and has learned a very public lesson. Sarron John Malot, a...

Queen St blocked by Boobs on Bikes
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:59:12 +1200 - Thousands of people blocked Auckland's Queen Street for today's controversial Boobs on Bikes parade. A legal bid to stop the parade organised by porn distributor Stev

Police name man killed in Mokau crash
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:34:32 +1200 - A man killed when his car and a truck collided near Mokau, northeast of New Plymouth, yesterday has been named by police. He was Stephen Nicholas Short, 45. Constable Daniel Walter, of Waitara police, said today the head-on...

Concern increases for missing mother of three
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:33:58 +1200 - Christchurch police have named a mother of three who disappeared from her home early on Tuesday in freezing weather, wearing only a nightdress. Detective Senior Sergeant David Harvey said Joan Lorraine Catlow, 39, left her suburban...

Price is right for house hunters
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 +1200 - Most house hunters believe this is the best time in years to buy, a bank survey reveals. The ASB Bank housing confidence survey, conducted over May, June and July, found the number of people optimistic about buying a house was...

Clark laughs off Australian briefing notes
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:00:00 +1200 - NIUE - Helen Clark has laughed off an embarrassing briefing note, describing her as controlling, that Australian officials provided to journalists covering the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' meeting. Australian Prime Minister Kevin...

Police prepare for rogue Undie 500 event
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:49:00 +1200 - Police are calling in extra officers from Canterbury, Invercargill and rural parts of Otago this weekend in anticipation of a rogue Undie 500 event. The annual Undie 500, in which students drive from Christchurch to Dunedin in...

Alleged arsonist explains threat to 'biff' judge'
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:17:16 +1200 - Alleged arsonist Francis Shaw promised to apologise in court for his outbursts yesterday but ended up making "an explanation for the anger". Shaw is charged with setting fire to the historic Rangiatea Church in Otaki in...

Sex abuse groups welcome proposed legislation changes
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +1200 - Sex abuse help groups are welcoming plans to improve justice around sexual offending. The Ministry of Justice has issued a public discussion document, Improvements to Sexual Violence Legislation in New Zealand, on proposed changes...

Homicide probe after woman's body found
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +1200 - A homicide investigation is under way after the discovery of a woman's body on Christchurch's Port Hills this morning. The body was found by a member of the public walking in the snow covered area. Police are looking into the...

Scottish band festival's top act
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 08:00:00 +1200 - Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand will headline the three-day Rhythm & Vines festival in Gisborne, starting on December 29. It will be their only New Zealand appearance. British soul singer Jamie Liddell will also appear,...

Quake in Pukerua Bay
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:54:15 +1200 - Pukerua Bay was rocked by a small earthquake last night. The quake measured 2.9 on the Richter scale and hit the bay, 10km north of Porirua, just before 9pm at a focal depth of 5km. The quake had been reported by 48 people on...

Wairarapa motorists warned of black ice
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:49:20 +1200 - Motorists on State Highway Two are being warned of black ice on the Waingawa River Bridge south of Masterton. Marie Kelly from the police said motorists should avoid the area. She said driving conditions in the Masterton area...

Judge's warning on cellphone threat-to-kill messages
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:34:45 +1200 - A Christchurch judge warned today that sending a text message threatening to kill someone could attract a seven year jail sentence. "I sense that people who use these phones for such purposes don't appreciate the seriousness of...

Anti-violence protesters walk ahead of parade
Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:30:00 +1200 - Demonstrators have marched down Queen Street in front of the controversial Boobs on Bikes parade in an effort to raise awareness of the links between pornography and violence against women and children. Around 60 protesters carried...