A teenager who showed no remorse for assaulting five people, including a police officer, will spend the next eight months behind bars.

A large sinkhole which appeared yesterday caused consternation among residents of a Punakaiki neighbourhood.

Pike River families say a commitment to leave the coal mine unsealed and inspect it with drone technology falls short of their requests, but is still "very positive".

Pike River families are meeting with Prime Minister Bill English for the first time this afternoon.

The West Coast may finally be in line for more better days than bad ones next month, a national forecaster says.

Forest & Bird has mounted a court challenge over a decision by the Buller District Council to allow an open-cast coalmine on 100ha of public reserve land behind Westport township.

The Waiho (Waiau) River bridge at Franz Josef Glacier will be lifted yet again this winter, at a cost of $1.6 million.

Jobs are expected to go at the Hokitika dairy factory as Westland Milk Products starts a company-wide review.

An elderly Nelson man who was reported missing after failing to arrive in Westport yesterday has been found alive and well.

Firefighters who battled the blaze which badly damaged the Midland rail line had to compete with 80km/h winds and 30m-high flames, says DOC.

Police are urging patience and extra care on West Coast roads as visitors start pouring in for a big sporting weekend.

The daily picket by mine families and supporters has resulted in West Coast contractors refusing to do the sealing work.

A man who admitted saying, "you spy, you die" during a phone call to the Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has been convicted.

About 40 per cent of offenders sentenced to community work in Greymouth do not bother turning up, the Greymouth District Court heard last week.

Twenty-nine figures stood in silence on the Pike River Mine access road this morning - each decked out in overalls, work boots, miner's helmets and the name tags of the 29 men who died in the 2010 mine disaster.

West Coast-Tasman MP Damien O'Connor has stoked the campaign to relocate the historic steam train the Kingston Flyer to the West Coast.

Kiwi Rail says 17,000 Tranz Alpine bookings are affected by the closure of the Midland Line after bridges were badly damaged in a scrub fire at the weekend.

KiwiRail is offering full refunds to Tranz Alpine passengers as it anticipates the fire-hit rail link between Canterbury and the West Coast could be out for at least six weeks.

An outdoors survival expert says water and shelter were the keys to staying alive for unexpected and lengthy times in the bush.

A woman has died after being swept out to sea.

"Nobody knows, until it actually happens to you." - Raywynne Richmond's 42-year-old daughter, Kim, has been missing for six months.

A fire burning on the tracks of the Christchurch to Greymouth rail line has brought the TranzAlpine and some freight services to a

Solid Energy has announced the closure of the Spring Creek Mine after failing to find a buyer.

Organisers of the Kathmandu Coast to Coast race have teamed up with a global environment group to ensure the iconic event leaves no trace upon the spectacular South Island countryside it traverses.

The Local Government Commission's review of the structure of local government on the West Coast is a "complete waste of money", says Westland Mayor Bruce Smith.

A South Island couple woke at 4am today to find their cat sodden - and their house swimming in 60cm-deep floodwaters.

An unexploded mortar shell found by children at the historic goldmining town of Waiuta has been deactivated by the army bomb disposal squad.

Police investigating the disappearance of Shelly Crooks, last seen at Punakaiki, are appealing for sightings of a female hitch-hiker and a sedan.

A strong, shallow earthquake has shaken the West Coast early today.

West Coast-born New Zealand reggae-roots band Salmonella Dub has been named as the headline act for the Wildfoods Festival in March.