An Otago gully has been in flames since 10pm this evening.

A German tourist received nasty bites when he crossed paths with a "grumpy seal" at Abel Tasman National Park.

Beautiful Portobello has wildlife, great views and excellent coffee.

There is a severe weather warning in parts of the South Island today, where heavy rain is expected.

Convicted killer Colin Bouwer's bid to block his deportation from New Zealand has been quashed.

An immediate focus was being put on upgrading State Highway 63 near St Arnaud in the weeks leading up to the very busy Christmas-New Year travel period.

The very health and safety changes which the Pike River disaster prompted make re-entering the mine difficult, Prime Minister Bill English says.

A pregnant woman who stole from her dying mother, burst into tears when she was told she would give birth behind bars.

A judge yesterday castigated a flood of drink-drivers who appeared in the Queenstown District Court.

We may be 12 days into summer but the rain falling over the last week isn't going anywhere fast.

A man who saved a young girl from drowning yesterday then went home to get his dive gear to recover the body of a young man.

More wet weather is on the way this weekend.

Police have confirmed a 19-year-old man has died while swimming in Kawarau River on Saturday.

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

A Christchurch man who committed a series of sexual offences, including rapes, at ''raves'' in several parts of the South Island has had his sentence reduced.

A major expedition to the submarine Kaikoura Canyon is assessing whether the November 14 quake elevated tsunami risks to coastal settlements.

New Zealand's new Prime Minister is a former farmer and literature student from smalltown Southland who once described himself as "specialising in being boring".

A mentally unwell prisoner was restrained with his hands behind his back for 21 hours a day for 10 weeks, a report has revealed.

Water supply levels in both Franz Josef and Fox Glacier are being monitored as the tourist season ramps up again.

West Coast Fish and Game have come to the aid of the Paringa Salmon Farm and cafe, which lost as many as 13,000 salmon after intruders tampered with the water supply.

A licence to fish for whitebait, much like the Fish and Game sports fishing licence, has been suggested as one way of managing the fishery.

A new report has found it would cost more than $250million to repair Christchurch's earthquake-battered Lancaster Park.

Job losses have been blamed for falling property values in this area.

A virtual shopping service to help Kaikoura's quake-hit retailers is flourishing.

A 14-year-old spent a night in a police cell after a social worker dropped him at an address frequented by a Mongrel Mob associate instead of taking him to a motel.

Family of man killed in crash that injured four others after a rugby celebration slam ''cowardice'' of the driver.

In the aftermath of the crash that killed a young farmer, the sentencing judge said ''this is not a North Otago issue in isolation'' but rather an issue for all of NZ.

A badly quake-damaged stretch of State Highway 1 south of Kaikoura could be reopened by mid-December, says Simon Bridges.

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

A group of TPP protesters and vocal opponents of outgoing PM John Key are holding a celebratory leaving party in Christchurch tonight.