A search and rescue operation is under way in the Mt Aspiring National Park after a distress beacon was activated.

Road toll now equal to last summer's following death of motorcyclist.

Police say a man shot overnight in Christchurch was targeted by two intruders.

A weak cold front will bring cloud, drizzle and showers to the country over the next few days but should clear in time for New Year celebrations.

Canterbury Police are seeking a missing man who was last seen on Boxing Day.

A hunter missing in Southland bush for 24 hours has been found safe and well.

Cars, caravans and trees were ravaged when a fast-moving hedge fire spread through a north Canterbury campground.

The fire on Signal Hill in Dunedin has been contained, but about 40 firefighters and three helicopters are continuing to fight the blaze.

Four kayakers have made it back to shore safely after getting into trouble near Ruby Island on Lake Wanaka.

The man got separated from his three hunting companions yesterday evening.

Bad weather is starting to hit the South Island.

A Christchurch mother who shed 20kg in nine months simply by slashing sugar from her diet is today launching a recipe book to help others.

A former Dunedin bus driver "wrongly branded as a thief and a fraudster" after being dismissed over a $2.90 fare has won nearly $20,000 in compensation.

An armed man brandishing a machete and wearing a bandana robbed a South Island dairy on Christmas night.

Don't let the morning cloud fool you - it is set to be a fine Boxing Day for New Zealanders, with Central Otago tipped as the best place to be.

A man has been injured in a serious assault in Christchurch.

Queenstown and Wanaka are expected to be the hottest.

Police have caught a man in Canterbury after earlier warning he was dangerous and should not be approached.

The best spots for enjoying a Christmas hamper outdoors will be in the Bay of Plenty, Nelson and Central Otago tomorrow.

Steve Braunias looks back on a year of thinking dangerously.

Three people have been arrested thanks to a group of brave Colac Bay residents who helped police foil a bid to burgle a holiday home.

Hokitika will see out one of its wettest years in 150 years of records, with the equivalent of two months of additional rain.

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

The driver already had 125 demerit points when he was caught speeding four times in about an hour in the Lindis Pass.

Jo-Anne Ireland, from Alexandra, is not keen on the small garden-dwellers - but every year she gets a present from 'Santa'.

After extensive fire damage the Greymouth fishing boat Te Aroha has risen from the ashes and is back trawling off the West Coast.

A downed line that sent a high-voltage current down an electric fence on a Port Chalmers property yesterday could have been deadly.

Christmas Day should be fine but be ready for thunderstorms in the coming days.

It's the biggest cruise ship to visit and likely the most valuable machine to call at New Zealand.

GRAPHIC WARNING: A calf has been brutally shot at least five times and left to die a slow painful death in the South Island.