Charges laid against four people over the death of an Ashburton man in June have been upgraded to manslaughter.

A desperate man managed to send two text messages to his partner after his boat sank, but they were dismissed as a joke.

Coroners' recommendations are being ignored and that needs to change to prevent more deaths, says a report.

Police are trying to establish whether there were more than one person involved in the death of Arran Gairns.

A Wellington woman will appear in Timaru District Court today charged with assaulting a man who was later found dead in an Ashburton industrial area.

A South Korean man has drowned after diving into a popular river rockslide pool to save two children.

The parents of the German teenagers presumed drowned in Foveaux Strait are returning home and say they know they are leaving their daughters behind.

The partner of a man who drowned at a beach known for its unpredictable conditions says a local motel owner told the family it was safe, new coroner's findings reveal.

Kiwis trying to save someone else made up half the people who drowned over summer - 'would-be' rescuers who perished while the person they tried to save survived.

More people drowned this summer than last, and would-be rescuers featured prominently in the toll.

A teenager drowned swimming across an artificial lake after seeing his mates having fun on the other side.

The brother of a 15-year-old boy who drowned while rescuing a young girl off Auckland's west coast says he lives in his brother's footsteps.

Fishing enthusiasts keen to set nets at a popular, but dangerous, Auckland beach should be wearing lifejackets, a coroner says.

A person has drowned near Ruakaka Beach in Northland today.

An 18-year-old woman who was revived after she was found at the bottom of a Hamilton swimming pool died last night in hospital.

Waikato police are warning swimmers to "look before you leap", as an 18-year-old woman fights for her life after being found at the bottom of a motel pool.

A 9-year-old from Fiji - believed to be in NZ for the Parachute music festival - was fighting for her life last night after nearly drowning in a motel pool.

A Romanian man who disappeared while volunteering with the Department of Conservation on a remote island likely drowned, a coroner has found.

The death of a 13-year-old girl after a boat capsized in rough weather in South Otago yesterday afternoon has left the community in shock.

Men and preschoolers are over-represented in our drowning toll, Water Safety NZ warns.

A police search yesterday failed to find 40-year-old Aucklander Peato Samele Ilalio, who is presumed drowned after he went missing while fishing from Kauri Point.

A 9-year-old Papamoa girl who dragged a young boy from the surf has shrugged off her hero status and says she was just doing what she has been trained to do.