Nine tourists have been stranded by floodwaters on State Highway 1 north of Oamaru after failing to observe warning signs earlier today.

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

Rugged up and in sturdy shoes, with a rucksack full of clothes, shampoo and cash, Jeanette Mary Alder was going "as far as she could go".

The Health and Disability Commissioner has suggested that access to publicly-funded health services depends on where patients live.

Simon Power orders a law review after three men successfully used a "greater good" defence to justify extensively damaging the Waihopai spybase.

A girl was pinned under a quad bike with her dying mother after the bike stalled on a steep track, rolled and plummeted 7m into a creek bed.

John Key says having to pay to use an internationally renowned walking track "isn't ideal", but it is better than the track being closed.

Severe gales powerful enough to damage trees and power lines are set to lash the east coast of the South Island and the parts of the North Island.

The decision to acquit the Waihopai saboteurs surprised Prime Minister John Key who is not ruling out a law change.

The oldest son of a mother-of-five killed by a woman fleeing a police check point says it's time to crush drink-drivers' cars.

Blenheim police say a suspected drunk driver who killed another motorist after crashing last night was not being chased.

No defendant is likely to succeed with a "greater good" defence again, following the publicity surrounding the spy base case, a law expert says.

Other defendants may consider using the same "greater good" defence as three activists who damaged the Waihopai spy base, a legal expert says.