Latest fromCanterbury

Accused: 'My life is on the line here'
Murder accused Mauha Fawcett, who is conducting his own trial, has elected not to take the stand, after declaring 'his life is on the line'.

Small plane crash in paddock north of Christchurch
Two men suffered broken bones when a small plane crashed into a paddock north of Christchurch yesterday.

Manning accused backtracked on story
A month after telling police he took part in the brutal murder of Christchurch prostitute Mellory Manning, Mongrel Mob prospect Mauha Fawcett backtracked on his story.

'They were looking for her'
A man who hired sex worker Mellory Manning on the night she was killed was unable to reach her by text later that night, the High Court at Christchurch has been told.

Cocktail of drugs consumed, court told
Christchurch sex worker Mellory Manning had consumed a variety of drugs in the days and hours before she was brutally murdered, a jury has been told today.

'Blood-curdling scream' heard
A witness who sold drugs to slain Christchurch sex worker Mellory Manning has described hearing a "blood-curdling" scream coming from the direction of a Mongrel Mob gang pad the night Mellory Manning was killed.

Victim killed at gang pad
Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning was raped, bashed, and stabbed at a Mongrel Mob gang pad before her mutilated body was dumped in a river, a court has heard today.

High-profile Christchurch murder trial to begin
The trial of a man charged with the murder of Christchurch prostitute Ngatai 'Mellory' Manning starts today.

'Man-made' quake stress: 6 more years
The initial trauma may be over but experts say earthquake-weary Christchurch residents will endure at least six years of "man-made" stressors as the region battles bureaucracy.

Man dies in suspicious sleepout fire
A male has died in a suspicious fire at a Northern Canterbury sleepout today, police say.

Couch bike... or 'eco-taxi'?
A "couch bike" for sale on Trade Me is giving Cantabrians the option of holding red zone tours "without destroying the ozone layer".

Pensioner wins apology from police
'It will be nice to have an apology.' Police are to compensate pensioner John Bennett for the way he was roughed up by armed officers in his own home two years ago.

Fatal plane crash: Fire melted fuselage
The fatal plane crash yesterday in Canterbury, which caused a fire so hot it melted the fuselage, was witnessed by glider pilot John McCaw, uncle of All Black Richie McCaw.

Two pilots killed in crashes
Two pilots have died in separate incidents involving gliders in North Canterbury and South Auckland today.

Banks Peninsula: Slice of rural heaven
Greg Dixon finds fine food, wonderful views and rusticating luxury at one of New Zealand newest luxury destinations.

Tauranga port moves south
Port of Tauranga has continued its national expansion by buying up 15ha of commercial land in Canterbury to create a new inland port.

'Determined' journalist dies of cancer
Journalist Peter Robert Douglas, 35, was wheelchair-bound all his life, but managed to achieve an awful lot in his tiny frame.