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

A total of 14 people have been rescued, but the vast majority of the 456 people on board, many of them elderly tourists, were unaccounted for.

A Paringa man whose jetboat struck a log on Monday evening had a lucky escape despite being “shot forward” into the bow of the boat and breaking his leg.

"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.

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

The search for two fishermen missing at Port Waikato enters its third day today. The police Eagle helicopter will search the area near the mouth of the river.

The families of two fishermen missing at Port Waikato endured a third anxious night waiting for any news of their loved ones.

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.

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.

The mother of a 3-year-old girl who fell into water at Wynyard Quarter faces a year-long road to recovery after she smashed both feet jumping in to save her.

Two men who used a chilly bin to help them swim 2km to shore when their dinghy sank off last night say their "driving force" was their partners and young children.

Sixteen passengers and a Fullers crew member were injured when the vessel struck the wharf late this morning, crunching its bow and knocking people out of seats.

Two men used life-jackets and a chilly bin to help them swim 2 kilometres to shore when their dinghy sank off Papamoa Beach last night.

Jake Macpherson doesn't like the water - but that didn't stop him diving into the ocean to save the life of a stranger swept off rocks at a popular Northland beach.

A small dinghy used by a man who fell into the Whangarei Harbour and drowned has been discovered by police, tied to a buoy where the fisherman was last seen.

The captain of the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia may remain a free man - for now - despite being found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison.