Heather and Dave Gunterare want answers over why their "perfectly healthy" 15-year-old son died after having his appendix removed at Grey Base Hospital.

A sexual assault victim faced her attacker in court and described how his "depravity" had robbed her of her childhood.

An Australian contractor which lost three staff members in the Pike River Mine disaster has been fined $46,800 after admitting breaches of the Health and Safety Act.

Pike River contractor Valley Longwall will be sentenced today for failing to ensure the safety of workers who died in explosions at the mine.

Pike River Mine families' spokesman Bernie Monk said he was gutted after the PM refused to help with a mine re-entry, after the mine's owners agreed to an attempt.

As he shivered in darkness beneath a bed of dried ferns, 11-year-old James Regnier waved helplessly at the passing rescue helicopter above the dense bush canopy.

This month's toll of job losses is striking - but it's a reflection of a slowing of the Chinese economy. It's time to look for jobs that have a future.

The Pike River Royal Commission of Inquiry will not be reopened for more evidence and there will be no delay in the commission's report being published, a court has ruled.