A major search underway in Southland for a missing helicopter with a pilot and instructor on board will continue into the night.

Who knew New Zealand had a space programme? In truth, with the exception of Auckland company Rocket Lab's launch of a rocket 100km into the sky last November, we can't claim to have tried visiting the inky void.

Cheapskate backpackers have forced a Queenstown supermarket to introduce a ticketing system for buying Bluff oysters.

The official warning over a tsunami that threatened the entire east coast of New Zealand today has been downgraded to an advisory, but there is still a threat from ocean surges.

Civil Defence authorities have downgraded the tsunami warning for New Zealand. However, New Zealand authorities are warning that there could be surges for up to 24 hours.

New Zealand east coastal areas aren't out of the woods yet, with Civil Defence authorities and scientists electing keep the tsunami warning in place.

The first wave has reached the Chatham Islands, after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake hit Chile overnight. An official tsunami alert remains in place for New Zealand's entire east coast.

Many chefs are turning to diver-caught scallops as a sustainable alternative to dredging.

When 5-year-old Max Christie slipped out of sight 90 metres down a rocky Whakapapa cliff his parents feared they wouldn't find him alive.