A Christchurch builder who shone a laser pointer at an international passenger jet carrying 121 passengers, dazzling flight crew, has today been jailed for 10 weeks.

Lotto will be donating all profits from next Saturday's draw to the quake relief.

Watch: Kiwi truck driver Louise Marriott is following in the footsteps of Jean Claude Van Damme.

An HIV-positive Christchurch nursing assistant is accused of having unprotected sex with Grindr dates.

Columbus, who died today aged 74, was the first Kiwi entertainer to have a No 1 single overseas and had a long career in show business.

A truck and car were involved in a serious accident north of Christchurch this morning.

Tower posted a wider annual loss as the general insurer set aside $25.3 million for provisions.

The signs of summer are among us with pohutakawa trees flowering already and forecasters say the official first day of the season on Thursday will be calm and dry.

The Government will urgently pass quake recovery laws which allow landslips in the South Island to be cleared into the ocean without consent.

The state house where John Key famously grew up is being sold by the Government.

Wanted man using social media to avoid police, says detective.

The Human Rights Commission has received 16 complaints about Brian Tamaki's rant blaming gay people for earthquakes.

People affected by the current earthquake sequence are being urged to take extra care of themselves.

Calls to mental health helplines have spiked since the Kaikoura Earthquake.

A person has died after an incident in Lyttelton Harbour, though police cannot say yet what happened.

A strong aftershock sends fearful people out of their homes for the night.

Hundreds of people turned out to farewell Jo-Anne Mackinnon, who died in last week's 7.8-magnitude earthquake. Mackinnon's funeral

A new report into alcohol and drug use among police detainees shows a reduction in cannabis and alcohol consumption, while the demand for methamphetamine is on the rise.

Canterbury Television is waving goodbye to TV.

A car with four people inside drove off a bluff on Christchurch's Port Hills last night.

Emergency services are attending the scene of a car crash involving 11 people in Christchurch, where there are concerns a fight could break out.

New Zealand is in for a relatively dry day today with areas of morning cloud and isolated showers in the north, clearing around midday and becoming mostly sunny.

Acting Civil Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee has defended the Wellington City Council's decision to declare the CBD safe so quickly after Monday's quake.

A petition against Destiny Church's tax-free status is gaining momentum - with 102,000 signatures and climbing.

An alternative inland route for ferry traffic has been established running from Picton to Christchurch, via Murchison and the Lewis Pass.

Businesses in quake-hit areas will be paid to keep on staff for at least eight weeks, the Govt says.

Kaikoura locals are beginning to join the exodus out of their quake ravaged settlement. With 1000 tourists successfully evacuated

Trapped between two slips and cut off from news of the outside world, traumatised evacuees from Kaikoura tell their stories.

Tourists and locals arrived in Christchurch after long night aboard Navy ship.

As Govt announces its relief package, Kaikoura businesses spell out what they need to survive.