More than 100 shorebirds, including the endangered dotterel, have been senselessly slaughtered on Northland's west coast.

Man told house would be burnt if he spoke about slaughter

A proposal to put an iconic Coromandel beach into public ownership has been withdrawn, but a new estimate that halves the land's value has given the Green Party hope a deal could still be done.

Liz Light visits Westland's kotuku colony.

The 2011 Census gets into full swing from tomorrow with the delivery of about eight million census forms and internet access codes.

Is selling to foreigners the only way out?

About 70 pilot whales which became stranded at the top of the South Island have made it to deeper water.

A group of pilot whales appears to have beached once more on Farewell Spit, at the top of the South Island.

A pod of 66 pilot whales beached west of Nelson yesterday swam off on the high tide overnight, DOC says.

Bronwyn Sell enjoys a girls' weekend away with a difference - a walk and wine in the Coromandel's Kauaeranga Valley.

NZ's forest ecosystems are the second most threatened in the world and house only 5 per cent of their original habitat, according to an international report.

Is the Kiwi love affair with roughing it going through a tough patch? Lisa Bradley reports.

Every year a Navy ship is selected to lead the Auckland Anniversary Regatta. Loaded with VIPs and Navy crew, the vessel becomes the guard ship for the regatta and is the platform from which races are started.

The Department of Conservation has confirmed it will lay charges over a brutal attack on a baby seal in a west Auckland stream. Two men were allegedly seen bashing the mammal with a boat oar last night.

Department of Conservation officers say they are "saddened" by what appears to be a brutal attack on a baby seal.

If you've run out of ideas to keep yourself busy these holidays Julie Harries has a novel idea guaranteed to get the suggestions flowing.

In principle the Conservation Department wants as many of the public as possible to enjoy the estate their taxation maintains. In practice, it is not very good at making that possible.

DOC staff have killed 10 pilot whales which survived the stranding of a pod of 24 in Parengarenga harbour in the Far North.

A set of "absolutely disgusting" toilets at the entrance to one of New Zealand's best short walks has drawn complaints that they are a blight on tourism.

Handing Department of Conservation campgrounds to private companies to run will turn them into "canvas subdivisions", says Labour's tourism spokesman Kelvin Davis.

DoC is in talks about handing over camping grounds to private companies to run them at a profit.