People are committing suicide, losing their homes and suffering heart attacks and strokes, because of one bad spending decision by a group of "country bumpkin" councillors.

Almost 180 Christchurch landowners have chosen not to accept the Crown offers on their red-zoned properties.

When people like the PM talk of an orderly transition to a post-smelter environment, they are talking about the scrapping of generating capacity, writes Brian Fallow.

The first bite of autumn will be felt over much of the country in the next few days as rain sets in over the South Island.

Angry Christchurch red zone property owners are launching a legal battle to force Gerry Brownlee to change his mind over compensation, but he says it is "wishful thinking".

Prime Minister John Key says it will be "bleak" for Canterbury residents who chose not to take up the Government's buy-out offer for land in the red zone.

Rain will bring some relief to drought-stricken farms this week, but the seasonal outlook is for dry conditions to linger well into autumn.

The head of a Navy team using sonar to search for aircraft wreckage says it's possible the bodies of 2degrees' boss Eric Hertz and his wife Kathy may never be found.

The bodies of 2degrees chief executive Eric Hertz and his wife, Kathy, who died when their plane ditched off Kawhia on Saturday, may never be recovered.

Citizens of Auckland and Wellington will be surprised to learn that water fluoridation is still an issue for the rest of the country.

The mood is sombre in the South Taranaki District council chambers. Their decision-making is under scrutiny by concerned locals just a couple of metres away in the public gallery.

Danielle Wright meets young ocean swimmers competing in the 10th King of the Bays event at Takapuna Beach.

Wellington's water shortage is looking less dire after an overwhelming response to water conservation messages.

An Auckland man who gave CPR to a toddler found face down in a hot pool has played down his actions.

An $800 million pipeline from Western Springs to the Mangere Sewage Treatment plant is described as "Auckland's most expensive freshwater river" by one of the groups opposing it.

Damien Grant writes: By law, Watercare has to keep the overall costs of water at minimum levels.

As drought grips the country, the Government is promoting giant dams to irrigate dry farmland. Geoff Cumming investigates whether the biggest of these plans will work for farmers, investors and environmentalists

Although snapper fishing may be patchy, this summer has been all about marlin fishing, with the Sky Tower in the background.

Bored of an evening? You could always create an Algae Biofuel Lab as one 17 year old student in the US did to win a $100,000 science prize.

" With so much of it, why are the sports fields as hard as concrete?" asks Brian Rudman. "Auckland now has a giant faucet connected straight to the mighty Waikato River."

Auckland households received $149,000 of hardship relief on water bills in the first year of a trust set up by Watercare Services.

Liz Light opts for a long walk and a cold swim on a hot day.

During a full moon, Danielle Wright is taken kite-fishing at a Northland nudist beach

It’s a sad state when cracks are the only things growing in the garden.

Editorial: Two recent events ought to have injected some urgency into the quest for cleaner, fairer and better use of New Zealand's most valuable resource, water.

The drought is a timely reminder of how much the New Zealand economy depends on rainfall, writes Brian Fallow.