John Key today assured distraught Pike River family members that although the mine could be sold to a new owner, the mining licence would not be transferred until the 29 victims entombed inside the pit were brought home.

The South Island settlement of Okarito developed into a buzzing town of 4000 during the gold rush of the 1800s. Today, it's returned to a quieter pace of life, with tours to see New Zealand's only breeding ground for the rare kotuku (white heron), one of the highlights.

Jim Eagles visits a nursery for the most endangered of our kiwi species.

A top geologist was so concerned with the Pike River mine that she asked her husband, also a geologist, not to enter the mine in 2010. She said Pike River Coal did not have a proper understanding of the geology of its coal mine, and had...

Blast shouldn't have happened in a modern mine, says Solid Energy chief.

Families of the 29 victims of last year's Pike River mine disaster will seek answers on how their loved ones died when the Royal Commission into one of the country's worst disasters opens in Greymouth tomorrow.