New images have emerged of the rip that a Piha surfing instructor took a group of teenagers into on Monday, sparking criticism from surf lifesavers at the west Auckland beach.

The Government says Petrobras is following DOC guidelines to minimise the disturbance to marine mammals while it looks for oil off the East Cape.

A body has been pulled from the water after a light plane crashed into the ocean near Orewa Beach, north of Auckland. Pieces of the wreckage are washing up on the beach.

An increase in the number of farmers failing significantly to meet effluent rules is unacceptable, says Fonterra. Significant non-compliance increased by 1 per cent to 16 per cent for the 2009/10 season.

The national drowning toll for the first two months of the year rose to 35, after 15 drownings in February.

Thirty-five jobs may be up for the chop but affected staff are being consulted before any decisions, Niwa says.

A contractor has smashed through a major underground cable in Christchurch, leaving the southern suburbs on back-up power and nearly killing himself twice in the process.

Vulnerable Christchurch residents are anxiously awaiting information on whether their neighbourhood may need to be abandoned.

Blogger Peter Hyde says there are now three cities within earthquake-hit Christchurch, and one of them - where many people live - is being neglected by the media.

The latest James Cameron film dives into new territory, both underwater and underground. Russell Baillie talks to director Alister Grierson

Wouldn't it be nice to know that your kids can swim? Even being able to dog paddle would do, because drowning often takes only a few seconds.