Rachael Louise De Jong's life was tragically cut short when she was swept down the Waikato River on Monday.

The swimmers tried to jump to safety in front of horrified witnesses.

Mercury Energy is reviewing its procedures to see if it can improve safety after a woman was swept to her death by the surging waters of the Waikato River.

Police and Search and Rescue personnel are at the scene where one person is missing after being swept down the Waikato River north of Taupo.

Stricken paddleboarder plucked from Auckland's Waitemata Harbour after losing his way home.

A pregnant woman watched helplessly as rescuers tried to save her fiance after he was pulled from a Northland beach.

Liam Lawrence thought his baby girl was going to grow up without a father after he was caught in a rip at Muriwai Beach. Then, his saviour arrived.

A search is under way for a man seen getting into the Waikato River overnight.

The search for a missing boatie in Otaki is based at Te Horo Beach this morning. Two Surf Life Saving boats are combing the waves

Two kayakers can thank the swift actions of the emergency services after they fell into the water and started drifting out to sea.

Onlookers appeared more fascinated than frightened when four menacing fins surfaced in the shallows at Coopers Beach two days in a row.

The deaths of 21 young Kiwi men who drowned in our waterways last year were preventable, Water Safety New Zealand says.

A man has been resuscitated after getting into trouble in the water at a popular Northland campground this afternoon.

A couple got into trouble while swimming at a notoriously dangerous west coast beach late at night.

Emergency services are responding to reports of a person found unconscious in water in Northland.

The warning follows reports of two near-drownings in Australia from using the popular Christmas gifts in the water.

A person needs medical treatment after an accident at Kai Iwi Lakes.

A NZ family is mourning the loss of their2-year-old girl after she tragically drowned after she was found unconscious in a backyard swimming pool.

Uncle tells of the moment he found his 4-year-old autistic nephew floating in his neighbour's pool.

The man drowned while kayaking to Donut Island off Whangamata.

Seven people, including an infant, went out on a small boat yesterday, but just the skipper was wearing a lifejacket.

As summer starts to heat up, Kiwis are getting creative in a bid to stay cool.

Conditions were "messy" were two people got into trouble at Piha yesterday, a resident said.

Despite tragedy at the weekend, it is one of the "safest" lakes around, the harbourmaster says, because of the clearly-defined areas for passive recreation, such as swimming.

A woman has died at Taipa Beach in the Far North tonight.

Join Tristram Clayton as he finds out what the laws around wearing life jackets in New Zealand are from Coastguard Northern Region's Operations Manager Ray Burge.

Volunteer lifeguards battled waves up to 7m high as they desperately searched for survivors of the Kaipara charter boat tragedy.

The skipper of the doomed fishing charter vessel Francie is among those who died in yesterday's tragedy.

Choppy conditions face searchers looking for three people missing after a fishing charter trip turned to tragedy on the Kaipara Harbour yesterday.

A dinghy found floating near Brown's Island may be connected to the mysterious fire there, police have confirmed.