Eleven-year-old Elli McLaughlan says smoke alarms save lives after a fire started by an electric blanket on her bed gutted her family's home in Westport yesterday.

NZ lake named among the world's clearest waters by an American travel publication.

North Islanders should rug up and turn their electric blankets on tonight as overnight lows drop by as much as 7C in some areas.

Critics of proposed link between West Coast and Milford Sound say $250 million costing should be more like $2 billion.

A man has died in a crash in Selwyn, Canterbury after two cars collided on West Coast Rd in Kirwee shortly after 5pm.

Nothing says Kiwi bloke more than a black singlet. We look at those characters in our culture that have helped ingrain that image

A 43-year old Christchurch man banned from public places where children might be, was allegedly caught in a city shopping mall yesterday.

A man who suffered severe burns in a Christchurch factory incident has died in hospital.

Dunedin drivers are being asked to take care on icy roads this morning.

Christchurch photographer Katherine Williams has been named 2016 Photographer of the Year.

Kaitangata in the South Island is making world headlines with its ambitious push to entice city dwellers to relocate to the tiny South Otago town.

Sue Chapman regularly takes photos of her children and uploads them to her 6000-plus social media followers.

Ratepayers have put $70,000 toward an American conference in Christchurch this year, which charges up to $3495 for tickets.

Watching her sports mad son grow up Angela Dixon often wondered whether it was the right path for her son Elliot

A child murderer has again been denied his freedom, 20 years after he was first eligible for parole.

Frightening CCTV stills from the armed robbery of a Christchurch dairy have been released by police.

A Canadian wept as he was sentenced today for careless driving causing the death of an 81-year-old woman near Owaka.

The first six months of 2016 were set to be the warmest start to the year yet, based on data from seven weather stations, including Hokitika.

Scientists have renewed their focus on Wairau Bar off Marlborough's Cloudy Bay, which bears secrets of our earliest settlers and their paths to Aotearoa.

The hierarchical nature and brutal inner workings of a tough New Zealand jail block, including yard fights and sparring have been revealed at a trial today.

Blood was streaming from a Christchurch dairy employee's head after he sustained a bad cut to the nose.

Former Wanaka Lakes Health Centre manager splashed stolen cash on 40th birthday party for himself at exclusive Queenstown golf club.

A witness to a shooting that shattered the Sunday afternoon peace described the surreal scene unfolding before his eyes as almost unbelievable.

A man has admitted stealing a car from a Christchurch drugs rehab centre.

A mother and her two children escaped injury in a house fire in Mosgiel last night by getting out quickly, Mosgiel fire station officer Steve Turnbull said.

A major review of the University of Otago's humanities division could cause academic positions to be axed, the university has confirmed.

Dredging of shipping canal leads to explosive discovery.

A small West Coast community has rallied around the parents of baby Emily Saunders who was swept into a swollen river as the search continues for her body.

A 12-year-old boy with health problems who went missing in Christchurch has been found safe and well.

A wanted man has cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet and is believed to be on the run in Christchurch.