A sentence of home detention for a bar owner who killed a patron is a "mockery" to the family, the victim's father says.

The New Zealand pinot noir movement is gathering pace and the great and good of the wine world jetted in from Singapore, Stockholm and San Francisco last week to experience Central Otago's take on the grape.

New Zealand wines of genuine distinction and world class status are not legion, but they do exist. Some tick some of the boxes some of the time. A few seem to get it dead right most of the time.

Getting experimental in our vineyards is a risky business, but one that has paid off in the past for our winemakers.

Dust your bunny ears down, the Year of the Rabbit is upon us.

One year on from his disappearance, police have renewed an appeal for information about a 19-year-old Nelson student.

You'll rarely hear "subtle" and "Marlborough sauvignon blanc" in the same sentence.

Police and DOC investigations are continuing into the massacre of fur seals at Ohau Point, a popular seal viewing point 22km north of Kaikoura.

Roads and vehicles must be "more forgiving" to curb a road toll which averages more than one death a day, the AA says. Figures released by the Ministry of Transport today show 371 people died on the roads over the past year.

Christchurch's Boxing Day aftershocks and the recent wet weather have seen more than 1000 claims lodged with the Earthquake Commission.

Campers fled on foot in darkness at the Pelorus Bridge Camp today as a flood with enough power to lift caravans hit the idyllic holiday spot, 59km northwest of Blenheim.