APNZ

A taxi driver has been sent to prison for two years after he evaded tax payments totaling more than half a million dollars.

Leaders Northern Districts and last-placed Canterbury are in similarly commanding positions at the halfway mark of their Plunket Shield matches against Central Districts and Wellington, respectively.

The person killed in a crash just north of Auckland last night has been named.

As a five-time world champion, Mahe Drysdale isn't used to losing and today he regained his national single sculls title at the New Zealand rowing championships at Lake Karapiro.

For the first time in New Zealand deaths in the country last year exceeded 30,000.

Rich-lister Gareth Morgan expects to meet with Norwegian adventurer Jarle Andhoy, whom he has slammed as callous and selfish, in the cold seas of Antarctica.

A spate of fires at Christchurch schools is being treated as suspiscious and has sparked a police investigation.

More charges have been filed against those involved in the international Megaupload case, including reproducing copyright material directly from third-party websites.

Martin Guptill's smoking-hot summer continued in Wellington last night as the right-hander guided New Zealand to a six-wicket win over South Africa in their opening Twenty20 encounter.

Almost 12,000 lightning strikes have been recorded over the North Island today.