Several appeals have been launched to help Cantabrians following today's devastating earthquake. ANZ launched an appeal and announced it would make the first donation, $1 million.

The key selection conundrum for Warriors coach Ivan Cleary is how he structures the right hand side of the park.

The Miners' Solidarity Day will see the Warriors play Newcastle tomorrow in a match to remember the victims of the tragedy.

A South Island couple unable to escape Cairns before Cyclone Yasi hit overnight felt so safe in their hotel they slept, then watched the huge storm from their balcony.

There's a "strong possibility" Pike River Coal mine contractors will never receive money owed to them, a receiver says.

Police made the "wrong call" to raise hopes for a rescue after the first Pike River Coal mine explosion, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says.

The 29 workers who died in the Pike River disaster would have died within minutes of the original explosion at the West Coast coal mine, a coronial hearing in Greymouth has heard.

John Key has defended police in the wake of a damning report and a much criticised decision to end recovery efforts at Pike River Coal mine.

The West Coast's Fox River burst its banks today, forcing some residents and bach owners to evacuate, some of them carrying off possessions they wanted to save.

The father of a miner who died at Pike River has accused police and the Government of withholding information that shows bodies may be recovered intact from the explosion-hit coal mine.

Sealing the Pike River mine could see vital evidence lost, the lawyer for the families of those killed says.