Kiwi Rail says 17,000 Tranz Alpine bookings are affected by the closure of the Midland Line after bridges were badly damaged in a scrub fire at the weekend.

Firefighters are battling a blaze that has broken out at Airborne Honey in Christchurch.

KiwiRail is offering full refunds to Tranz Alpine passengers as it anticipates the fire-hit rail link between Canterbury and the West Coast could be out for at least six weeks.

Pike River Mine families have been granted a meeting with PM Bill English, on February 15, as Parliamentary committee considers sealing of mine.

An outdoors survival expert says water and shelter were the keys to staying alive for unexpected and lengthy times in the bush.

Peter Foster knows first hand how tough it can be to make a go of it in New Zealand, and he doubts the billionaires heading to NZ will last long.

AJ Hackett Bungy staff have won praise from police and their boss for their response to a serious road crash outside the company's Queenstown operation.

The partner of a woman drowned when she was dragged out to sea by the mouth of a river in the northwest of the South Island has thanked

A woman has died after being swept out to sea.

A 24-year-old Christchurch man who was shot by police this morning has been charged with pointing a firearm at police.

A man was shot in the face by police in Canterbury this morning - and escaped with just minor injuries.

Police have suspended the search for a diver missing in Dunedin tonight.

If you thought summer was missing in action last month, official figures released today prove it.

Organisers of the Kathmandu Coast to Coast race have teamed up with a global environment group to ensure the iconic event leaves no trace upon the spectacular South Island countryside it traverses.

The man responsible for the deaths of two Mosgiel siblings is a changed man, according to the Parole Board.

The innocent driver involved in a crash which saw a teenager die has described the haunting moments he realised she was dead.

Midwives have complained that a lack of safe transfers from Central Otago and Queenstown to main centres is putting "women and babies at risk".

We can expect normal temperatures in the coming months but less rain.

A plan to bring our national bird back from the brink and super-charge local kiwi conservation efforts is being launched today.

Firefighters were forced to break into a Bishopdale flat prevent a fire while the couple inside slept.

Community Board member Darrell Latham knows the relocation of the school is a difficult decision but says it is the wrong one.

A Dunedin mother took her two sons on a family outing with a difference - to commit a burglary.

Dunedin's newest celebrity albatross chick could be reunited with its parents as soon as tomorrow.

Beds and houses shook uncontrollably in the late-night quake, scaring thousands of people.

Elisabeth Easther talks to Craig Rutland, proprietor of Last Light Lodge and Cafe, Tuatapere, Southland.

The Local Government Commission's review of the structure of local government on the West Coast is a "complete waste of money", says Westland Mayor Bruce Smith.

International scientists have claimed the 7.8 Kaikoura quake has raised the potential threat of another large NZ event - but a Kiwi scientist says that's unlikely.

A South Island couple woke at 4am today to find their cat sodden - and their house swimming in 60cm-deep floodwaters.

A man found out about an arsenal of weapons in a Dunedin house after his co-defendant's girlfriend had been there 'in relation to work'.

Kaikoura quake damage to businesses has topped $900 million, according to insurance figures.