John Beckenridge took his 11-year-old stepson camping for a week before he appears to have taken their lives by driving at high speed off a Southland cliff.

John Beckenridge’s vehicle appears to have been driven at “high speed” off a Southland cliff, which could indicate a grim outcome for the missing pair.

Authorities are investigating the possibility that John Beckenridge and his 11-year-old stepson Michael Zhao-Beckenridge have left the country, police say.

A decision, by police looking for a missing 11-year-old boy, was still being made on how to extract a vehicle from the bottom of a Southland bay.

The school where a boy disappeared from with his stepfather despite a parenting order says any child could leave the school if they really wanted to.

Police searching for a missing 11-year-old boy and his stepfather have gone back into the water at Curio Bay in Southland, where they have found a vehicle earlier identified by underwater camera.

Police still have fears for the wellbeing of 11-year-old Mike Zhao-Beckenridge, who has now been missing for a week.

Concern for a missing 11-year-old Invercargill boy is growing as police continue to search for the boy and his stepfather, who is believed to have absconded with him five days ago.

The kayaker missing off Wellington’s Island Bay today has returned home safely.

A young English tourist is being praised for trying to save a Malaysian man who is believed drowned after jumping off the Tolaga Bay wharf on the East Coast.

Mother of three Laura Singh, who was missing for five days, is undergoing medical assessments after she was found in Wellsford yesterday.

Missing mother of three Laura Singh is undergoing a medical examination after disappearing from her Greenlane home on Monday.

The body of a dead man clutching a lifejacket washed ashore early this morning in the Whangarei Harbour.

As search efforts continue, police are piecing together the last known whereabouts of missing climber Simon Bell.

A student who went missing yesterday was in a "distressed state" and police have concerns for her safety.

An Australian visiting Auckland has been missing since the early hours of Friday morning.

Two children have been reported missing from Onehunga area, Auckland. The children, Summah (pronounced Summer) and Isaiah Brown were last seen with their family at the Onehunga mall at around 1.15pm this afternoon.

A senior police officer involved in the search for missing Christchurch rebuild worker Hayden Cossey has described the "absolute tragedy" of finding him dead at a remote rockfall.

Police have formally identified the body of missing man Hayden Cossey, recovered in Christchurch's Port Hills yesterday.

A man's body has been discovered in Christchurch's Port Hills, but police are not saying whether he is Hayden Cossey, who has been missing for more than two weeks.

The search has resumed this morning for a fisherman missing since yesterday.

Police are today focusing attention on the flat 33 year-old Hayden Cossey was living in before he disappeared.

Two tourists who went missing on Rangitoto Island this afternoon have been reunited with their family.

An extensive search will be launched at first light tomorrow for a Canterbury man who has not been seen for more than two weeks.