West Coast

Fiera Comox has bought a 35-year cutting right to 45,500 hectares of forestry blocks between Westport and Franz Josef.

It comes ahead of the mandatory introduction of kerbside collections.

The two vehicle crash in Paroa was reported just after 4pm on Thursday and the person died at the scene, police said.

The New Zealand Transport Agency in warning drivers to be careful on the roads on Monday as bad weather is forecast to hit the lower North Island and parts of the South.

It will be one of the biggest rises compared to other councils around the country.

The Tawhai Tunnel, south of Reefton, has been closed since 15 June due to a partial collapse.

Staff shortages have again closed Buller Health's acute care (hospital) service to admissions, just three days after it fully reopened.

A man who allegedly targeted West Coast iwi and council leaders with racist and "nuisance" emails has been visited by police.

The matter is now being monitored by police who say they are taking the issue seriously.

The Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities programme has expanded to the West Coast to the tune of $2.6m over the next two years.

A hearing will resume in Greymouth Tuesday on how land-use and mining will evolve under the West Coast's proposed new district plan.

A retired truck driver had hoped to secure a family legacy but lost everything when the vessel ran aground and sank.

The Office of the Auditor General has advised the council it needs to better reflect climate change in the way it manages its protection assets.

The final video played in the inquest into a Gloriavale man's death was a tribute to his life, compiled by his family.

Shane Jones visited two mines on Thursday without revealing it until afterwards - then had a private lunch with mining industry representatives.

Nearly three years after a devastating flood displaced hundreds of residents, they have been told a solution is near.

A toxicologist has told a court he cannot rule out the possibility that Sincere Standtrue may have been huffing paint and other chemical fumes before his death.

Sincere Standtrue - who had worked in the community's paint shop since he was 15 - was found unresponsive and died in Christchurch Hospital in November 2018.

The inquest will examine the circumstances of his death and if the death was self-inflicted.

Inland Canterbury areas have been covered in snow this morning.