Stranded residents of a small village north of Kaikoura have finally got road access.

Weather watches or warning are in place for most of the upper North Island as more rain is forecast over the week.

Thousands of boaties swapped their old lifejackets for new in a Coastguard safety scheme.

Broadlands Forest Resident Graham Sperry spotted what he believes may be sewage on the river bank over the weekend, and is worried it could pose a health risk. Made with funding from NZ On Air

A former Kiwi Olympian landed a 163.4kg black marlin, the first to be speared in New Zealand waters.

Three experienced divers went for a dive this morning but one did not surface.

Boaties in strife have kept Coastguard crews busy in the northern region this weekend, with multiple people rescued from stricken vessels.

A man was rescued from his yacht as the vessel sunk into the drink off Great Barrier Island on Friday.

The Auckland Volcanic Field will "almost certainly" erupt again, and a swarm of earthquakes will be the first signal of a catastrophe, say scientists.

The men had a lucky escape after experiencing engine trouble in rough seas.

Recent report predictions that rural districts may see a population decline in years to come is being rebutted by the South Waikato which has had 1.3% population rise in the last year. - Made with funding from NZ On Air

A small community fighting a "sprawling industrial complex" in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges is feeling betrayed at the decision

COMMENT: Moral implications seem a bridge too far in decisions on management of key resource, opines Rachel Stewart.

A truck wash operating on a reserve has been shut down after a resident discovered polluted water was running into a stream leading to the Waikato River and the regional council had done nothing about it until he complained.

A red algal bloom is covering the ocean at Uretiti and Ruakaka.

Some say the Government's water-quality proposals are not ambitious enough, but others - including farmers - are cautiously optimistic.

In "clean, green New Zealand" just 72 per cent of rivers, streams and lakes are considered safe for swimming and it will remain that way for a while.

A man is missing after he got into difficulty in the water tonight at Muriwai beach on Auckland's west coast.

COMMENT: The Government's plan to clean up waterways is an attempt to look as though action's being taken, when in reality nothing's happening, says Mark Dye.

Judge blasts company's measures to prevent chemicals running into stream as 'completely inadequate'.

Live crabs, stink bugs and ''miracle water'' are some of the most bizarre things intercepted at NZ's border.

Although he faced criticism over controversial Hawke's Bay Regional Council actions, suggestions chief executive Andrew Newman was

Bill English may lift the minimum standard for NZ's rivers and streams.

Inexperience and a solo ascent contributed to a scuba diver's drowning death.

A model has been hailed a hero after helping rescue a group of teens who fell through an ice-covered lake in New York's Central Park.

A Warriors' team fishing trip turned into a dramatic rescue mission when the players rushed to the aid of a young man who went missing off an Auckland beach.

The body of missing woman Barbara Thomson has been found by police.

Residents of Oratia are fighting a proposal by Auckland's water company to take their homes for a $300 million-plus water-treatment plant.

Wastewater has leaked at the popular Wellington surf beach of Lyall Bay.

A shark was spotted lurking in knee-deep water in the Bay of Plenty today.