A 4.7 magnitude earthquake has rattled the south Island 40km north west of Te Anau shortly before 7pm.

Emergency services faced a gruesome scene as they went to the aid of a lifeless Dunedin woman covered in blood, a High Court jury has been told.

A ''Blueskin blanket'' of thick fog has brought gloom to the coast north of Dunedin after clinging to the landscape for more than 10 days.

The clothes an alleged murderer wore and the hammer he is accused of using to kill his boss looked unfamiliar to the defendant's parents.

A man who continually sexually assaulted a drunk French tourist despite her repeatedly telling him to stop said the victim was "into it".

A group of golfers playing through the mist at the St Clair Golf Club on Saturday morning came up against an unusual hazard.

A float carrying two horses has crashed in the Waitaki District this afternoon. Emergency crews were called to an area near Hampden-Palmerston

An endangered penguin has been returned to the wild after being treated for abdominal wounds at Wellington Zoo.

A Dunedin cleaner beat his boss to death with a hammer because she had complained about his conduct at work, the Crown says.

Community services are worried about the effect five years of district health board shortfalls could have on them.

Official documents have revealed for the first time what contributed to the convention centre deal between the Government and Plenary Conventions NZ.

As consultation opens on an oil and gas drilling plan, some city councillors are now questioning if the Government will listen to what they say.

A family escaped a blaze in their two-storey Greymouth home.

Two crashes in as many days resulted in vehicles rolling after incidents in Queenstown over the weekend.

The sudden death of a "bright, wonderful student" at a University of Canterbury halls of residence has left students and staff in shock.

Police are investigating after a milk tanker ran off the road in North Otago, killing the driver.

The woman died at Rochester and Rutherford Hall on Ilam Rd in Christchurch.

This will be a good weekend to check out the museum or cuddle up with a book as heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the country.

A miscount from Hockey New Zealand means the Ramesh Patel Shield will head to Midlands after spending just a week with Canterbury Hockey.

It's not only the little guy who struggles with EQC and insurance companies over earthquake repairs. Former mayor Garry Moore battles on too.

Queenstown's bar community is in mourning after one of its own died in an eerie car crash.

Shareholders have approved the second stage of a major South Canterbury irrigation scheme.

A bus driver and the blind woman he knocked over have shared an unlikely embrace outside court.

A Canterbury man who allegedly assaulted a 3-month old baby has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A Picton businessman is fighting to put the picturesque Marlborough township - quite literally - on the map.

We will find you and we will kill you - that is the message the Otago Regional Council is set to issue today to Bennett's wallabies that enter Otago.

A knife-wielding man who paraded around in public with his shirt off, challenging people to fight him, has been jailed for nearly two years.

The Granity bus shelter reported missing last week was never stolen.

Civil Aviation has given grounded South Westland helicopter company Alpine Adventures the green light to fly again.

Almost 700 Christchurch drivers have been given warnings for illegally driving or planning to drive for Uber.