Jeremy Charles Brons of Christchurch was swept away by a swollen Snowy River after a failed West Coast river crossing.

The wreck could pave the way to a bright and prosperous future, but a golden opportunity could easily be squandered if the wrong decisions are made, writes Roger Grace.

Ask your average Tauranga local about the Rena and you'll find they haven't thought about that not-too-distant hunk of steel in a long time.

Two of New Zealand's most renowned marine scientists have argued for more "no-take" marine reserves, where fishing of any kind is banned.

Mervin de Rozario will be farewelled tomorrow after his body was found in the water near Waiheke Island at the weekend.

A wooden fishing boat packed with at least 600 migrants overturned in the Mediterranean Sea and hundreds are feared dead.

A surfer's desperate attempt to fight off a shark that was mauling him has been described as a "Mick Fanning replay" by a friend who witnessed the attack.

A man who drowned after being thrown from a boat on the Waitara River mouth in Taranaki yesterday has been named by police.

Bay of Plenty Maori say they have been offered thousands of dollars to withdraw their opposition to leaving the Rena on Astrolabe Reef.

"This is one of New Zealand's biggest ports - if we can't contain this, how are we going to deal with off-shore drilling? I don't think we can really take the risk."

An Auckland boatie was killed and five died on the roads during a horror start to the long weekend.

A picture of a young boy who drowned off of the coast of the Greek island of Rhodes has come to represent the tragedy in the Mediterranean sea.

A shipwreck in which hundreds of people are feared dead may be one of the worst disasters of the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

The boat of two fishermen missing from Port Waikato since Monday may never be recovered, police say.

The air search today for the two missing fisherman was unsuccessful, police say.

A fisherman missing with a friend after crossing the Port Waikato Bar usually stayed clear of the notoriously dangerous stretch of water.

A man rescued from a ledge after a fishing trip went horribly wrong was worried about what to tell his wife when he got home without any fish.

The search has resumed this morning for a 74-year-old man who has been missing since his boat capsized at Manukau Heads yesterday.

The doomed Costa Concordia was carrying a huge shipment of Mafia-owned cocaine when it set off on its final voyage, investigators have said.

Rusty wires caused a lifeboat to fall from its sling on a cargo ship in Wellington Harbour, injuring a crewman.

A man was flown to hospital after being seriously injured in a water skiing accident at Taupo today.

An investigation into a Shotover Jet crash which left two people hospitalised has found the crash was down to driver error.

Auckland's volunteer surf lifeguards are raising their hands for help - up to eight facilities need improvement over the next decade, says Surf Life Saving Northern Region.

Strong winds have caused Interislander ferry Aratere to move around, causing damage to a loading ramp in Picton Harbour.

The Westport man who died while kayaking off Tauranga Bay last month has today been named by police.

Police are investigating the death of a 48-year-old kayaker found floating in the water at Tauranga Bay near Westport today.