Blenheim Police are appealing to the public for help finding a sailor who has been reported missing in the Marlborough Sounds area.

Boy racers black out an intersection with tyre skidmarks.

A new fight may be developing between Government and iwi over fishing rights, this time in the Marlborough Sounds.

The MetService is forecasting rain for much of New Zealand today, perhaps ruining plans for post-party barbecues and sunbathing.

A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.

The Marlborough Sounds double murderer has been denied parole, with a report stating Watson's risk of violent recidivism was very high.

When Kaikoura locals told visiting PM Bill English the Govt effort was "piss poor" in the quake-strewn region, Gerry Brownlee let them have it.

The father of convicted double murderer Scott Watson responds after Gerald Hope's letter following a prison meeting with the man sent away for killing his daughter.

Olivia Hope's father says he felt convicted killer Scott Watson had rehearsed his responses to many of the questions when they met.

Convicted Marlborough Sounds double murderer Scott Watson is set to learn before Christmas if he will be paroled.

A new satellite-based tool published by Landcare Research has provided one of the clearest views yet of what changes last month's 7.8 Kaikoura Earthquake wrought on the landscape.

A severe 5.5 jolt that shook central New Zealand yesterday afternoon has been followed by a flurry of tremors overnight.

Motorists travelling the alternative route between Christchurch and Picton have been caught up in heavy congestion today, as traffic pressure mounts on the post-quake thoroughfare.

Eighteen per cent of GP clinics closed their books to new patients

The 7.8 earthquake damaged around 20 per cent of Marlborough's storage tanks, but 2016 still promises to be a good year for wine.

The signs of summer are among us with pohutakawa trees flowering already and forecasters say the official first day of the season on Thursday will be calm and dry.

A shaky night puts residents across central New Zealand on edge.

A growing number of New Zealanders believe convicted double murderer Scott Watson may be an innocent man.

It's time to reach for the sunblock and head to the beach with the country set to swelter in 30C temperatures.

New Zealand is in for a relatively dry day today with areas of morning cloud and isolated showers in the north, clearing around midday and becoming mostly sunny.

Some of the earthquake relief efforts are wrapping up in Kaikoura.

Hundreds of home checks have been carried out in the worst-hit areas by Red Cross personnel since Monday's 7.8 quake.

A new video shows cracks have formed a major drop on a Clarence road.

Eight properties in Marlborough have been identified as being too badly damaged to be entered.

A Civil Defence helicopter made a nappy run to a remote part of Marlborough to bring supplies to a family with a young baby who have been cut off.

An alternative inland route for ferry traffic has been established running from Picton to Christchurch, via Murchison and the Lewis Pass.

Power, water and road access is slowly being restored to earthquake-hit areas of the South Island as crews work around the clock.

Services slowly return to normal across Marlborough but many still advised to boil water.

Businesses in quake-hit areas will be paid to keep on staff for at least eight weeks, the Govt says.

Questions are being asked about why key government buildings in Wellington have been impacted so badly, as concerns about more buildings emerge.