She started writing her novel at the age of 14, scribbling down sentences as she sat at the back of the classroom. Five years on, Catherine Banner is being tipped as the new JK Rowling.
The sole survivor of a Lake Taupo boating accident could only sit silently, clutching a box of tissues, as police yesterday began their investigation into the tragedy.
A man and his son are dead, while another son survived after a night boating trip turned to tragedy on Lake Taupo. The three were heading back to Tokaanu at the southern end of Lake Taupo when their small aluminium dinghy sank about midnight.
Paul Gascoigne must be detained for his own safety or there could be a "serious tragedy", a former team-mate said yesterday. The ex-England footballer was released from hospital on Monday after being sectioned under the Mental Health Act for the second time this year.