A severe weather warning has been issued as heavy rain and gales are expected to hit areas across the country.

Two Christchurch women were rescued by helicopter from Arthur's Pass National Park today.

A West Coast man has been acquitted of murder but found guilty of the manslaughter of his friend, following a four-day trial.

Jill Worrall explores the region that was home to the legendary bushman and prospector.

The Reefton winner of a $10.6m Lotto prize initially figured he must have read the Lotto numbers wrong, so put his ticket aside.

West Coast police are investigating the suspicious death of a 38-year-old man whose body was found this morning.

A keg of beer was pulled from the wreckage of a sports car which crashed head-on into a milk tanker, killing two teenagers.

A young man drowned in the Grey River in an attempt to avoid a drink-driving conviction, Coroner Richard McElrea has told an inquest.

Skydive NZ's John Kerr says he's "absolutely devastated and numbed" by the Fox Glacier crash that claimed the lives of more than a third of his staff.

Transport accident investigators are confident they will find "most, if not all", of the reasons for the Fox Glacier plane crash, despite fire causing massive damage to the aircraft.

The deaths of five local men and four overseas tourists makes it one of New Zealand's deadliest plane crashes.

Kyle Scott and Liz Blatch still had their wedding at Darfield's Oak historic homestead only hours after the 7.1 earthquake.

A fiery plane crash that killed nine people in Fox Glacier today happened just metres from the town's chief fire officer's house.