In a scene straight out of a desert island castaway story, a line scrawled in the beach pointed rescuers to a helicopter crash in the sea near Whangarei today, helping save a pilot's life.

A man with serious leg injuries has been cut from a van in a crash causing long delays on the Southern Motorway in Auckland.

A 23-year-old man has been taken to hospital after being pulled from the sea after his helicopter crashed off the Northland coast. He was the pilot and only occupant of the chopper and escaped with minor injuries.

An air search has started off the Northland coast after reports an aircraft may have crashed into the sea.

A snorkeller has been called the 'luckiest guy in the world' after his life was saved by two cruise boat skippers.

John Key has defended police in the wake of a damning report and a much criticised decision to end recovery efforts at Pike River Coal mine.

The father of a miner who died at Pike River has accused police and the Government of withholding information that shows bodies may be recovered intact from the explosion-hit coal mine.

Receivers of the company that owns the Pike River mine say it is unlikely the bodies of the 29 workers will ever be recovered.

A proposed Pike River mine stabilisation plan doesn't allow for the recovery of the miners and won't guarantee the future of the mine. The Receivers of Pike River Coal Limited presented their mine stabilisation plan to the Commissioner of P

Police are disgusted after a crashed driver stole a car belonging to an elderly couple who had stopped to help him.

Last year was a 'bitterly disappointing' year for farmers, with the number of deaths nearly doubling to 17, Federated Farmers says.

Sealing the Pike River mine could see vital evidence lost, the lawyer for the families of those killed says.

Overseas tourists claimed $1 million from the ACC in the last financial year, but the payouts benefited New Zealanders, the organisation says.