Canterbury

The search for a missing Christchurch real estate agent remains focused on waterways south of Christchurch, but police are still trying to track exactly where the car of the man charged with her… Audio

Crown-owned red zone land along the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor is being returned to the council, marking the end of the government's post-earthquake responsibilities in the process.

The first psychiatrist to formally interview Lauren Dickason believes the mother killed her children out of control, not love.

A human rights lawyer who represented dozens of survivors of abuse in care does not trust the state, even today, to prevent it from happening again. Audio

An investigation found the five who died all showed symptoms of petrol exposure, consistent with inhalation and absorption of petrol fumes, an interim report shows.

Since homicide trials often have a high profile, public understanding of precise legal terms is important, writes law professor Kris Gledhill.

A jury has heard how Lauren Dickason told a psychiatrist that killing her three children was "part of a package deal".

Lauren Dickason relied on her husband to help manage her depression and anxiety, the High Court at Christchurch has heard. Audio

Police say conditions on the Halswell River and Ellesmere Lake remained unfavourable for searching on Monday morning.

A friend who set up the fundraiser says Bao's parents were travelling to New Zealand to meet with the missing woman's partner and child.

Christchurch police say they have made significant findings at a Hornby property where a missing real estate agent was last seen. Audio

The High Court has heard what was going through Lauren Dickason's mind in the lead-up to killing her children. Audio

A forensic psychiatrist has told the High Court that Lauren Dickason was horrified by vivid visions of harming her children the month before she killed them.

The search for the body of the Christchurch real estate agent is being stepped up with more helicopters and people joining the operation.

Lauren Dickason's mother has told the court her daughter seemed absent in the final months before she left South Africa for Timaru.

A court has been told there is no question Lauren Dickason was severely mentally unwell on the night she killed her three children and did it out of love.

The investigation into Christchurch woman Yanfei Bao's disappearance is now a homicide inquiry, Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves says.

A video recording of the alleged child murderer's police interview played for the jury on Tuesday.

Her face crumpled in the video as she stated what she had done - killing her three children - was "irreversible". Audio

The missing real estate agent was due to show the property to a prospective buyer when she disappeared last week.