Wet weather today will clear throughout the country making way for a mainly fine Christmas weekend.

A personal emergency locator beacon has been activated near Angelus Hut between Lake Rotoiti and Lake Rotoroa.

Dashcam footage has revealed a close call as an SUV and trailer spin out of control on a Nelson road.

While most of the country is awash with the Christmas spirit, it appears Nelson forgot about the festivities.

A firefighter has drained an entire town's water supply after filling up a school swimming pool from a hydrant in a small South Island town.

A person has been hurt after the car they were in went off the Coastal Highway and into a swamp at Mapua, west of Nelson.

A Dutch rock climber was injured after falling 14m at a popular climbing spot in the South Island this afternoon.

Six fire crews are battling a "well involved" Nelson house fire and searching the property to see if anyone is inside.

Judges orders boss to pay $12,000 to worker seriously injured when fuel tank exploded.

A further public health message has been issued for quake affected communities.

Plans for a ferry between Whanganui and Port Motueka have been revisited. And pending a feasibility study by the council, could have the Mayor's support. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

A number of schools have been closed due to flooding, affecting some students due to sit exams after afternoon.

Thieves stole a number of firearms from a South Island house while the occupants were evacuated due to yesterday's tsunami warning.

Most schools will open tomorrow, following hundreds of closures after the quake.

As New Zealand wakes up to reports of the series of earthquakes to have shaken the country overnight the rest of the world is also coming to grips with the news.

Heavy rain and wind is forecast to batter the upper South Island and lower North Island this afternoon.

Primary responsibility for civil defence emergency management at a local level rests with your local council.

It's beginning to feel like summer in some parts of the country, with pohutukawa bursting into bloom. "People have been getting a

Duane Major and Adam Gard'ner set their sights on keeping a 6ha site at Tukurua Beach in Golden Bay, in Kiwi hands.

Police are looking for a mustachioed man who was caught on CCTV robbing a service station in Nelson. The Z service station on Halifax

A dog attacked Gordon Jenkins' wife. He responded by stabbing it 43 times in the neck.

More than 6000 sign up to become first-time blood donors

A group of schoolchildren made a lucky escape before their school bus was completely gutted by fire in Nelson this afternoon.

Father hid cellphone in bathroom laundry basket to film people naked while they showered, according to court report.

The standard Kiwi home is earning more than the average worker makes from their job in seven of the country's 12 districts.

Police have seized items from the homes of elderly women in Wellington and Nelson which has sparked criticism of political interference from a voluntary euthanasia group.

Changes undermine value of national bowel screening programme, expert says.

A woman was indecently assaulted by a teenager who talked his way in to her Nelson home saying he needed to use the toilet.

A man has been rescued by helicopter after his float plane crashed in the Marlborough Sounds this evening. The Nelson Marlborough

A man who continually sexually assaulted a drunk French tourist despite her repeatedly telling him to stop said the victim was "into it".