nzherald.co.nz - National

Silly journey for serious problem
A man has committed to making 425km journey down the mighty Waikato River - on a lilo.After suffering from depression for over two years, Jimi Hunt decided he needed to get fit, but he wasn't really one for gyms and marathons."Stuff...

Man's legs damaged in ladder mishap
A Waiheke Island man suffered excruciating injuries when the ladder he was on somehow collapsed, twisting his legs and trapping them between the rungs.Waiheke Island chief fire officer Ron Leonard said the man was checking the levels...

Police arrest drunken Sevens fans
There have been another 29 arrests in Wellington overnight, as Sevens fans headed to the central city to party.Most were for breaching liquor bans and disorderly behaviour.Eight people were arrested at the stadium yesterday, and...

AOS responds to Dunedin assault
Armed police swooped on a property south of Dunedin early this morning after reports of an assault on a man and firearms at the address.Police responded to the incident on Taieri Rd, Titri, about 3.45am.Sergeant Dave Scott said...

Boat owner cries foul after hitting sunken yacht
The wreckage of a classic yacht that sank in the Waitemata Harbour after a collision during the Auckland Anniversary Day regatta has been found on the seabed and taken to shore.But a launch owner says he hit the wreck days before...

Surgeons paid over $6000 for a day
Some Auckland surgeons are being paid more than $6000 for a day's work at a public hospital.The Waitemata District Health Board scheme has divided doctors over concerns that the surgeons involved can earn nearly four times as much...

Hang on to hard-won Treaty safeguards, says iwi leader
A northern tribal leader has called for Treaty protection clauses to remain in privatised state assets, as iwi leaders prepare to meet the Prime Minister at Waitangi.John Key will meet iwi chairmen from around the country tomorrow...

Nightmare for dream wedding
By the end of Sandra Schollum's dream wedding, her mother was paralysed in hospital and a family friend rushed away in an ambulance.The happiest day of her life became her saddest after a terrible string of coincidences.Mrs Schollum...

NZ driving angers visitors
Visiting drivers say they are shocked at the lack of courtesy and patience displayed by Kiwis New Zealand may have just had its lowest road toll in six decades, but our drivers are just as rude and reckless as ever, visitors have...

Waitangi Day: How can we reclaim the day?
Historian Buddy Mikaere imagines a Waitangi Day that will mean something special to all New Zealanders In a few days' time we will mark 172 years since that sunny day on February 6, 1840 when a group of northern chiefs gathered...

Dotcom's 'extraordinary' life keeps him in jail
In the end it was Kim Dotcom's money and his "history of taking an unorthodox route'' that saw the multimillionaire remain behind bars yesterday instead of going home to his family and his $30 million mansion.The man at the centre...

Struck-off GP ordered to pay $106,190 costs
A controversial Hamilton GP who has been found guilty of professional misconduct must pay $106,190 in costs and has strict conditions imposed on him should he try to practise as a doctor again.The Health Practitioners Disciplinary...

Net outward migration at 10-year high
The net outflow of migrants continued unabated in December, pushing the population loss from migration for the whole of 2011 to 1900, the largest in 10 years.The Labour Department expects it to get worse before it gets better but...

8-year dog-owning ban 'a good result' in neglect case
A 28-year-old man has been banned from owning dogs for eight years and sentenced to 100 hours of community work for one of the worst cases of neglect a senior SPCA inspector has ever seen.Ricky Hauraki Llewellyn Griffiths pleaded...

David Farrar: Maori Party threats put Govt on edge
If National had received around 5,000 fewer party votes, or if National voters in Epsom and Ohariu had failed to vote for the ACT and United Future candidates respectively, then the conflict over treaty clauses in SOEs would be critical.National,...

Fatal bike-crash driver talks
"I still don't have those words," says Glenn Becker, the motorist cleared this week of charges over cyclist Jane Bishop's death.The Weekend Herald had asked what he might say to friends and family of the 27-year-old English nurse,...