An east Auckland creek is full of dead fish and eels after a sewage leak caused by someone flushing wet wipes down the toilet.

Drowning a tragedy but dam flood to remain open as an attraction, says Taupo mayor.

A drone has been used to search for a missing 19-year-old who was swept away during a night swim in the Hutt River last night.

These are the high points from Labour and Greens' State of the Nation speeches this afternoon.

Kiwis "must be vigilant" about swimming in our rivers, a freshwater scientist says, with data often showing high levels of E. coli in waterways.

MAIN PIC MC270117NADSUP1.JPGStand up paddle boarder Marcus Hansen will soon be swapping the tranquil waters of Whangarei's Town Basin

Malcolm Lumsden was recently stopped by a lady pronouncing that "I was one of those irresponsible farmers who allowed their cows to 'pee and poo' everywhere resulting in our rivers all being polluted"

Each year, our country is shifting at about the same speed our fingernails grow. Here are four other strange things you probably don't know about New Zealand.

The state of our rivers and lakes has predictably come under intensified focus this summer, as Kiwis head to their favourite watering holes.

The tourism industry's biggest challenge is coping with record growth and finding ways to fund infrastructure.

A controversial Greenpeace TV ad has been given the green light after the dairy industry attempted to shut it down.

It is an uncontroversial fact that the state of the country's freshwater resources has for decades been moving towards ecological collapse.

Creating "designer" ecosystems for degraded waterways could boost river restoration efforts around the country.

Search and rescue members using night vision goggles spotted the man floating on his malfunctioning jet-ski at around 2am.

Geonet say there is a 98 per cent chance of an aftershock of 6 to 6.9 magnitude in the next year.

A grassroots environment group is ramping up a lobbying campaign for more stringent "bottom line" rules around freshwater quality.

A Lord of the Rings actor who now works as a tour guide operator has slammed New Zealand's "clean, green" image.

Repairs to South Island stopbanks damaged in the Kaikōura earthquake is expected to cost nearly $700,000.

The Wellington region could once again face slips, flooding, and further road closures as bad weather approaches.

COMMENT: Environment, drinking water and charges need to be dealt with separately, writes Iain Rabbitts.

A North American dishwashing liquid claims to smell like 'New Zealand springs' - let's hope they don't mean Rotorua.

Regional vegetable supplies could be at risk under the Waikato Regional Councils ‘Healthy Rivers’ plan according to vegetable growers in Northern Waikato. Made with funding from NZ on Air

His science background could be helpful in communicating Horizons Regional Council's activities more clearly to voters, Allan Wrigglesworth

A major study that's found taking water from our rivers has been hurting fishlife has prompted fresh recommendations to the Government.

Last week, the image of a herd of cows in a pristine high country lake provoked widespread outrage, writes Dame Anne Salmond. The mood of the country has changed.

If your stance on foreign ownership of prized New Zealand countryside is black or white, the case of Robert "Mutt" Lange reveals issues that are far from clear-cut.

Two-thirds of more than 160 monitored river swimming sites in NZ have been deemed unsafe for a dip. Where are the worst spots?

The Green Party has dismissed the new bottom lines as "weak" and argues the measures mean rivers will only have to be clean enough for wading or boating.