Darryl Rolton wouldn't hesitate to help a mate in trouble. That instinctive nature cost the Christchurch man his life on Saturday when he leapt 11 metres off the Maruia Falls.

New Zealand's most religious regions have been revealed in the latest Census data. Click here for an interactive graphic looking at the various districts.

Kayakers who rescued a man who fell over a waterfall near Nelson Lakes National Park today have been praised by police for their bravery.

A 5-year-old girl killed when the motorbike she was riding hit a fence may have panicked while on the machine, a coroner says.

A holidaymaker suffered a severe allergic reaction after he accidentally swallowed a bee while riding a bike in Coromandel this morning.

A captain of a fishing vessel in Nelson was making more than $100,000 a year and living in a state house, Housing Minister Nick Smith said last night.

A truck driver was trapped in his cab for more than an hour after crashing into a rock wall north of Nelson overnight.

A sleeping household had a lucky escape when a stolen car nearly ploughed into their Nelson bedroom.

A truck laden with newspapers ignited in a dramatic fire in Canterbury early this morning.

Police are investigating a suspicious fire at a Nelson pub over the weekend - the second blaze to hit the establishment in less than a year.

Name suppression for a man charged with the daylight bashing of a long-serving Nelson police officer has lapsed.

Catherine Smith jumped at the chance to bike and hike her way through Nelson's stunning landscape.

A man on a motorbike indecently exposed himself to two women cyclists in Nelson yesterday.

The daylight bashing of a long-serving Nelson police officer is another example of a "worrying trend" of increased violence towards officers, the Police Association says.

A Nelson dairy has been suspended from selling Lotto products after allegedly being caught selling legal high products.