Latest fromCanterbury

Nearly 200 Christchurch landowners decline Crown offers
Almost 180 Christchurch landowners have chosen not to accept the Crown offers on their red-zoned properties.

'Quake outcasts' launch legal battle
Angry Christchurch red zone property owners are launching a legal battle to force Gerry Brownlee to change his mind over compensation, but he says it is "wishful thinking".

Key: Bleak future in red zone
Prime Minister John Key says it will be "bleak" for Canterbury residents who chose not to take up the Government's buy-out offer for land in the red zone.

Scribe's Ryder tweets spark anger
A Kiwi rapper has caused anger by suggesting Jesse Ryder may have provoked the attack that left him with a fractured skull and punctured lung.

Hope in 20 year tax stoush
A businessman is confident he can win a 20-year, $4 million legal battle with Inland Revenue.

Small business: Cameron Shaw - Renalldoors
Cameron Shaw, owner of Renalldoors, a family run business based in Carterton, Wairarapa.

Job fight backfire costs gamekeeper
A game keeper who sold off thousands of dollars' worth of antlers without permission has lost his claim of unfair dismissal and been told to pay up thousands.

Spotlight on beer festivals
As summer fades into autumn and the season of mist and mellow fruitfulness, it's time for hay to be saved, harvests to be gathered and, best of all, have festivals to attend.

Rural mail thieves from North Island
Police believe offenders responsible for a spate of rural mail thefts targeting North Canterbury residents are from the North Island.

Off-duty soldier killed by truck named
The Australian soldier who died after being struck by a truck and trailer on Saturday, February 16, has been named.

James Dann: Gerry's spin moves into top gear
Despite Gerry Brownlee's best PR spin, everything is not going swimmingly in Christchurch, writes blogger James Dann.

Man stabbed in side of the head
A knife was embedded in a man's head after a gruesome stabbing at a party early this morning.

North Canterbury: Game of two halves
Ewan McDonald enjoys a few reds and Blacks in one of the country’s burgeoning food and wine regions.

Teen heroes save driver
Two teenagers have told how they leapt into a river and saved an unconscious motorist whose head was underwater in his semi-submerged ute.

Dollar drops on unemployment fall news
The New Zealand dollar fell by more than half a US cent today after labour data showed that the employment rate fell to its lowest point in 10 years.

Unemployment down 0.4pc (+video)
New Zealand's unemployment rate fell from a 13-year high in the last three months of 2012 as people stopped looking for work and the participation rate shrank.