Beaches on the west coast have now been reopened following yesterday's fatal shark attack except for Muriwai, which will remain closed until Saturday.

A man who captured dramatic footage of a police officer shooting at a shark which killed a man at Muriwai Beach has hailed the efforts of police and surf life savers.

A review of beach safety policies will be conducted in the wake of yesterday's horror Muriwai Beach shark attack, but Australia-style shark nets have been ruled out.

Friends and family members have paid tribute to Muriwai Beach shark victim Adam Strange, a "big-hearted man" who "lived for the water between his toes".

Great white sharks are no strangers to Muriwai and the warm weather this summer may have brought them closer to shore.

Gun shots slow down and lose power almost immediately after they enter water - and the shark would need to have been on the surface for hits to be fatal, experts say.

Award-winning film director Adam Strange, 46, was the victim of a fatal shark attack in Muriwai this afternoon.

A dingo sanctuary for Queensland's Fraser Island is one of the ideas being considered to protect the animals.

WARNING: Graphic content. SPCA staff believe a cat found drowned in Auckland's Waitemata Harbour on Sunday was lured into a lobster trap and left in the water to die.

Conservationists say our lack of protection measures for sharks is a source of global embarrassment but the industry argues the debate is clouded by emotion.

A New Zealand seabird, which was thought to be extinct for over 150 years, has been found breeding on Little Barrier Island.

A dog came to the rescue of its owner, biting an armed man who was attacking her.

The banning of a dairy farmer from owning cows after he was convicted of breaking the animal's tails has been applauded by animal support groups.

Godwits fly here every year from Alaska, but new developments in China threaten their route. How many will be back? A new book reveals the threat to their continued globe-spanning migration.

The days when there were 20 sheep for every Kiwi are long gone.

The city's lizard population has declined due to loss of habitat and predation by introduced mammals, prompting Mayor Celia Wade-Brown to ask eco-sleuths to help.

A sometimes heated public meeting has heard Gareth Morgan's ideas on how to clamp down on cats that kill birds.

The woman who rode her trusty steed through downtown Greymouth on Saturday night says she was "hassled" by police and her antics had not harmed anyone.

Mosquitos can grow immune to repellent in as quickly as three hours, according to new research.

A young penguin washed up on a New Zealand beach, more than 2000km from home, is fighting for its life at Wellington Zoo.

The SPCA will launch investigate after a drunk woman rode her horse through the streets of Greymouth and offered bar patrons rides around town before being arrested.

Microscopic jellyfish could be the real culprit for the painful rash developed by some Western Bay beach-goers.