The Buller District Council has delayed until next year a decision on whether to ban freedom camping at Punakaiki.

Four Westport schools will lose thousands of dollars of yearly funding after again failing to convince the Ministry of Education to overturn their decile ratings.

Pike River protest action entered its 12th day today with Geotech in the firing line and further court action under way.

COMMENT: It's one of the toughest calls. Do you have some sympathy for the families of those who died? Or do you push them to one side and seal the mine?

Solid Energy is "disappointed" that Allied Concrete has decided not to supply the company to help seal the Pike River mine.

The pursuit of a Greymouth man through the Karoro Lawn Cemetery while brandishing a pool cue was recounted in the Greymouth District Court yesterday.

A Coal Creek family has lost everything when fire tore through their home at 3am.

The Department of Conservation has discovered a further 2864 submissions on the Waitaha River hydro scheme caught in its email spam filters.

Early morning fire badly damages Greymouth home.

Two women opposing the permanent sealing of the Pike River mine have made a desperate plea to contractors tasked with the job. Sonya

West Coast had highest rate

An alternative inland route for ferry traffic has been established running from Picton to Christchurch, via Murchison and the Lewis Pass.

A last-ditch bid to allow Mines Rescue to explore the Pike River Mine drift before it is sealed permanently has been abandoned.

The old Ngahere Hall has survived the indignity of a car crashing through the wall to end up wedged under the stage.

West Coast police today advised motorists to take extra care when driving through the Lewis Pass and Maruia Valley on SH7 and SH65 as traffic numbers build up.

Tourists are heading to the South Island's West Coast in their droves after the devastating east coast earthquake.

Heavy truck traffic is expected to increase through the West Coast after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake.

Scientists investigating the mechanics of the earthquake say it faulted in the same way the February 22, 2011, Christchurch Earthquake did.

It's beginning to feel like summer in some parts of the country, with pohutukawa bursting into bloom. "People have been getting a

Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse are calling for the mine not to be sealed in the hope the bodies of their loved ones will one day be recovered.

Family and friends of the Pike River 29 are protesting at the gates near the ill-fated West Coast mine in one final attempt to stop it from being sealed.

A District Court judge has refused to sentence a West Coast man over a cannabis growing operation because police had not considered the commercial aspect.

New Westland Mayor Bruce Smith, only a week into the job, has been caught out after delivering a speech using the plagiarised words of the US President.

A new book casts doubt on the history of the discovery of the West Coast's first payable gold.

Emergency works to reclaim the Hokitika spit, which is rapidly being eroded by the sea, are set to start this week.

Phoenix Coal has agreed to pay $46 million cash for Solid Energy's Stockton, Rotowaro and Maramarua mines.

Westland's new mayor has broken the mould by appointing two deputy mayors. Bruce Smith has appointed Latham Martin, the highest-polling

About 20 per cent of West Coast dairy farms could be in serious financial trouble, Federated Farmers heard at its quarterly meeting in Greymouth.

Filled with genuine photos of the MP, there were a few hints the Facebook page was not the official one.

Solid Energy says it remains in discussions over the future of the Spring Creek underground coalmine at Dunollie, and the small Reddale open-cast mine near Reefton.