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.

A string of light earthquakes have hit several parts of the country since Seddon was rattled by a 4.7 magnitude quake last night.

Families of the 29 men killed in the Pike River mining tragedy are standing their ground as they protest against a bid to seal off the mine permanently.

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.

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.

Three place names in North Canterbury will no longer contain the N-word.

A Greymouth man wanted by police for breach of bail lost control of his vehicle at Taylorville late last night while trying to evade police.

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.

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.

South Island police are investigating the incident that occurred at the Paringa Salmon Farm Café, South Westland.

The size of Westport's proposed integrated family health centre (IFHC) has been cut by 300sq m compared to previous plans - which were already carved to the bone.

An out-of-town beekeeper who parked up in Westport to eat his lunch yesterday afternoon left a trail of angry bees behind him.

Two landowners and Heritage New Zealand are opposing a water export facility being proposed for remote South Westland.

The Ministry of Social Development is awaiting sentencing on breach of health and safety legislation after the 2014 Ashburton Work and Income office killings.

Thunderstorms are expected to hit some parts of the North Island today and tomorrow before temperatures soar to low-30s in some parts of New Zealand later this week.