Drug dealer went to jail after keeping his dead girlfriend on ice for nearly a year - now Stephen Royds is back in New Zealand.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has told principals they should stop talking to the media and focus on implementing the controversial national standards.

NZ is set to reap the benefits as the country's premier tourist resort features in a Bollywood blockbuster expected to be seen by 150 million people.

Queenstown schools are closed with drivers urged to take extreme care on central South Island roads after heavy snow fell in the area, with more expected.

The country’s premier poker tour makes its mid-winter stopover in Queenstown next month.

Police use of social networks to hunt criminals is proving effective, with 'one or two' crooks caught each month.

A schoolgirl who had just three hours' driving experience when she killed one of her friends in a head-on crash has warned young drivers to think twice before taking the wheel.

Two pilots used their airside security passes to sneak onto Queenstown Airport runway in the middle of the night to race a car.

Allied Farmers says it has has conditional agreement to sell the second stage of the Five Mile property development in Queenstown.

A recent addition to Queenstown's adventure activities, Ziptrek is a two-hour flying fox experience through the forest.

Paul Rush visits Queenstown and enjoys some mellow yellow adventures.

Forecast rain today is expected to raise the Lake Wakatipu level, but not beyond its peak, reassures Queenstown Lakes District Council.

Lake Wakatipu's brimming water level rose no further overnight and dropped slightly today, easing the risk of flooding in Queenstown.

Full-to-the-brim Lake Wakatipu is likely to start dropping back tomorrow, but high winds could still push waves of water into the streets.

River flow levels and a minimal rain forecast suggest Queenstown's Lake Wakatipu might only rise by a further 10cm.