All 29 men lost in the Pike River disaster died within minutes of the first blast in the West Coast coal mine, a coronial inquest into the disaster has concluded.

The man charged with overseeing the Pike River mine smelled diesel or exhaust in the air about the time it was hit with an explosion that killed 29 men.

The 29 workers who died in the Pike River disaster would have died within minutes of the original explosion at the West Coast coal mine, a coronial hearing in Greymouth has heard.

A NZ-based baby buggy company is working to repair thousands of its strollers amid fears they could cut users' fingertips.

A new mum said goodbye to her 4-month-old daughter and left for work - 10 minutes later she died in a car crash.

Drivers are flouting the ban on hand-held cellphones - new figures show a phone-related car crash almost every two days, dozens of injuries and five deaths last year.

One in three road deaths are caused by speeding, young and repeat drunk drivers, according to a new report released by Transport Minister Steven Joyce.

Police are urging people to adjust their driving to wet conditions after a fatal crash this morning.

Ten people were hurt in three separate crashes on a notorious stretch of highway in just six hours yesterday.

A decorated soldier's family have spoken of their grief at his death in a crash that broke every rule.

A horror crash north of Tauranga which killed three people was "like a war zone", police say.