Severe gales powerful enough to damage trees and power lines are set to lash the east coast of the South Island and the parts of the North Island.

A 4-year-old killed in a crash may have survived if the family dog had not been sitting on the seatbelt the boy should have had on, a coroner has found.

Sir Peter Jackson has raised the ire of neighbours by starting work on a second lake at his fairytale Wairarapa estate.

Wave activity "appears to be stabilised" at previously-reported levels, Civil Defence Emergency Management says.

A set of freak conditions conspired to catch 15 children in a rip yesterday, prompting a major rescue effort.

Victorian-style Greytown has long been a hot holiday spot.

Two businessmen involved in an alleged vigilante street patrol in the Wairarapa town of Martinborough have had their sentencing delayed to give them time to prove their actions were lawful.

Steven Joyce says the toll on the Transmission Gully route will be no more than $3.

Wellington's mayor lauds a move to proceed with Transmission Gully but her Kapiti counterpart admits to being "extremely disappointed".

The long-awaited Transmission Gully route has been approved as part of a $2.2 billion upgrade of State Highway 1 from Wellington to Levin.