Police were called after school holiday programme staff noticed a man talking to a child in the playground.

A large vegetation fire that came within five metres of a new Blenheim subdivision and forced the evacuation of 60 homes was deliberately lit, authorities have confirmed.

A former high school principal who was sacked from her job has been awarded $150,000 for unfair dismissal.

Police are appealing for information about a missing Christchurch woman.

Emergency services were called to the incident on the Otematata-Kurow Rd section of the highway near Lake Aviemore shortly before 4pm.

A Christchurch mother who objected moves to exhume her son five years after he died, has now been buried alongside him.

The playful and curious orca entertained those on the boat for about 20 minutes.

This is New Zealand from 400 kilometres above the earth.

The mother of a teen-boy killed in a triple-fatality car crash in Canterbury has forgiven the young man who was behind the wheel on December 26.

A man has been stabbed in Christchurch following a heated argument over a dog.

A person is dead after a van crashed into a bridge and became submerged in water in mid-Canterbury this morning.

Cantabrians will need to batten down the hatches as wild weather is expected this afternoon.

A jab for a pregnant woman can protect her baby

The driver killed in a two car crash south of Christchurch yesterday was driving on the wrong side of the road, police say.

Tihioterangi Rei Edgecombe had spent December 31 last year fixing a car when he decided to see how it was running.

Big swells predicted to surge up the eastern side of New Zealand from Kaikoura to north of Mahia Peninsula

Whale Watch is back on the water in Kaikoura.

Offender alleged to have demanded money and assaulted a young man.

Firefighters in Kaiapoi, North of Christchurch, are attending a large blaze near the Waimakariri River this afternoon.

The MetService is forecasting rain for much of New Zealand today, perhaps ruining plans for post-party barbecues and sunbathing.

One person is dead following a single car crash near Christchurch tonight.

Five people were lucky to escape from a serious crash in the Lewis Pass without life threatening injuries, due to wearing seatbelts.

A spectacular fireworks display off Auckland's Sky Tower and parties around the country herald the start of a new year.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged with aggravated robbery in relation to a shooting in Bryndwr, Christchurch yesterday.

A man shot in Christchurch overnight who was targeted by armed intruders is set to make a full recovery.

A man reportedly tried to take the keys off a group of teens in the lead-up to a Boxing Day crash which killed three 15-year-olds in Canterbury.

Springs Junction - the tiny settlement connecting State Highways 7 and 65 - now boasts two food caravans as well as a service station and cafe both operating 24/7.

Thousands have reported feeling the "severe" 5.5 magnitude quake which rattled central New Zealand this afternoon.

Police say a man shot overnight in Christchurch was targeted by two intruders.

A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.