Beating of Australian tourist by British man with criminal convictions highlights a ''leak'' in New Zealand's border protection system, lawyer says.

Huge spillage at craft brewery cost $80,000 and described as a "crime of passion".

So far, more than 3 metres has been dumped on the mountain this season.

Australians are being encouraged by Queenstown's tourism body to pull a sickie and fly to the resort for a long weekend.

New Zealand's most expensive accommodation is in Queenstown, with a night's stay costing an average of $226, a survey has found.

It's cheaper for Kiwis to spend a night at a hotel in Paris than it is for an overnight stay in Queenstown, a survey has found.

A British man brutally attacked a tourist in Queenstown less than six weeks after being convicted of a similar offence in Australia.

The winners in the annual Condé Nast Traveler magazine Reader Choice Awards survey have been announced.

Police said they had launched a search for Queenstown man Jack Nicholson, 23, who was last seen around 1.30am yesterday, and later reported as missing to police.

A tourist who slapped his teenage son around the face has been given a suspended sentence by a judge who accepted "cultural differences" were a factor.

Police are today investigating the knifepoint robbery of a Queenstown bottle shop and they've thanked the public for their help in catching the suspect.

Police said the man entered Henry's Liquor Store in Shotover St and demanded money. He took a quantity of cash and ran from the store.

Today a close friend paid tribute to Roger Greville, who died after being pulled from snow near Queenstown: "He will be well missed".

The heli-ski operator that flew in skier Roger Greville who was yesterday hit by an avalanche and later died has suspended its operations.

A skier has died after being buried in an avalanche south of Queenstown today.

James Russell is amazed during a trip to Queenstown to discover that since he last grasped poles, Kiwi skifields have lifted their game higher than the Matterhorn.

The woman who died in a two-car crash in Queenstown on Friday was Jennifer Claire Scott, 76.

Searchers looking for two young Canadians missing in the South Island spotted a body in a field of avalanche debris late today.

Police are hunting for two missing Canadian tourists who have gone missing in the South Island.

Police said the 47-year-old was removed from the flight shortly before take-off at Queenstown International Airport.

Queenstown Airport has been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on patching its runway after damage by heavy aircraft.

He spent a night with Kim from Seattle and loved footy and foreign girls. He recorded all his Kiwi adventures in diary but he didn't leave his name.

A housekeeper has been sentenced to community work after she assaulted her partner and her brother in a series of violent outbursts.

Flights in and out of Queenstown Airport were on hold this morning due to ice on the runway, in a "never seen before" snap freeze.

Police say they are frustrated at the behaviour of Queenstown's winter revellers after almost 30 incidents - most involving alcohol - at the weekend.

Frustrated Jetstar passengers left stranded after their flight to Queenstown was detoured are once again en route to their original destination by coach.

The winter storm that brought snow and heavy rain to many parts of the South is moving north, but many roads in the region remain affected in its wake this morning.

Queenstown Lakes District Council boss Adam Feeley has "total integrity", Minister of Building and Housing Nick Smith says.