A 15-year-old found dead in a North Canterbury river was the cousin of hip-hop star Scribe.

An outdoor pursuits centre field manager told an inquest today it was too dangerous for him to rescue a group of students from a gorge.

An outdoor pursuits field manager has told an inquest he wishes an instructor had not taken students into a gorge where they died canyoning.

An American woman dies after becoming pinned under a rock when a family rafting trip on the Mohaka River turned to tragedy yesterday.

A former television stuntwoman, whom rescuers spent 25 minutes reviving after a near-drowning on New Year's Day, has died after she was sent home from hospital.

An 11-year-old boy watched his father drown at a Far North beach yesterday as he tried to retrieve the boy's boogie board.

Australian police hold grave fears for a New Zealand fisherman missing off the coast of Tasmania.

Figures released today showed 98 people drowned last year, the second lowest annual toll since records began in 1980.

One fisherman drowned and three others spent hours clinging to their boat after it capsized in the mouth of the Manukau Harbour.

Surf lifesavers are pleading with the public to take care in the water after a spate of drownings.

A grieving son whose father drowned after holding him above water has paid tribute to the loving family man.