Canterbury

About 2000 litres of oil have been recovered following a catastrophic factory fire in North Canterbury that left a toxic slick coating Kaiapoi rivers and workers facing an uncertain future.

It's not yet known how much toxic oil has been flushed into Kaiapoi rivers or the extent of ecological damage after a major factory blaze. Audio

A blaze in Canterbury this morning caused quenching fluid to enter the stormwater system.

A fire investigator is at the scene working out the cause of a blaze that broke out in a Kaiapoi factory overnight.

Canterbury's Mackenzie Basin is now in a restricted fire season, following hot and dry conditions.

A major rowing championship in Twizel will be positive for businesses but some locals are anxious about the risk of spreading Omicron in the area, the district mayor says.

Canterbury police are offering an amnesty for people who received fake Covid-19 vaccine passes from a Rangiora man.

Police have charged a 35-year-old man with the murder of Juliana Bonilla Herrera in the Christchurch suburb of Addington over the weekend.

More than five weeks after torrential rain set off a series of giant mudslides that washed away the Banks Peninsula road, the only way out is a steep hike over a saddle to neighbouring Paua Bay. Audio

Police investigations are underway after bodies were found in Christchurch and Tauranga.

Police are investigating an attempted aggravated robbery at a fruit and vegetable store in Christchurch.

Members of the Kaikōura community are concerned its pāua fishery is being stripped by the huge demand from the public.

The name of a 46-year-old woman who died after an altercation in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton earlier this week has been released.

TranzAlpine train journeys between Christchurch and Greymouth have resumed, after a five-month break because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bowhill Road in east Christchurch is reopening after being closed when a fire tore through a large two-storey home.

Christchurch City Council has slapped the organisers of anti-government protests with a bill for more than $14,000 for costs incurred during its rallies.

A Kaiapoi doctor caught handing out fake vaccine exemptions is no longer registered to practise medicine in New Zealand.

Reduced bus services are ongoing in Christchurch this summer due to driver shortages, but not every operator is feeling the pinch.

The human remains found on Leithfield Beach are those of a deceased adult, police say.