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

Elisabeth Easther on a charming southern town.

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".

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

A knife was embedded in a man's head after a gruesome stabbing at a party early this morning.

Ewan McDonald enjoys a few reds and Blacks in one of the country’s burgeoning food and wine regions.

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

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.

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.