Stories by Tracy Neal

A dog once banished from Westport's library after a complaint from the public is now its new volunteer staff member.

Farmers and growers in Marlborough will soon have use of an online tool that tells them how much water they can use on a given day.

A south Marlborough farming couple whose property was torn apart in last November's quake have had to replace the farm's entire infrastructure.

The head of GNS Science wants more stability in funding for the research organisation.

A group that has been trying to save a historic grandstand in Takaka says the community has been poorly served by a decision to pull it down.

Members of the Ward community packed a chapel this week for a special service to mark the one-year anniversary of the Kaikōura earthquake.

As many reflect on last year's Kaikōura earthquake, some of the world's top earthquake scientists are using it as an indicator for the future. Audio

Marlborough's earthquake-creased hills and recent fault line ruptures will be the focus of a convention of international earthquake scientists over the coming week.

New Zealand could reduce deaths by investing more in its roads, including installing median barrier strips, a visiting transport researcher says.

A woman who witnessed a whale stranding on Farewell Spit has developed an invention that aims to help save the lives of struggling whales.

A Nelson home-owner says it's taken more than a year and thousands of dollars to get a consent hearing to build a small rock wall outside his waterfront home.

Empty drums of chemicals, extensive damage and piles of rubbish left behind at a Nelson rental property will cost a landlord thousands of dollars to repair and clean up.

A group fighting a poison drop in a Nelson wildlife sanctuary won't let a $70,000 bill deter them, a lawyer says.

Apple crop damage probably caused by a regularly-used fungicide has been "gut-wrenching" for a Motueka grower.

A recreational fishing advocacy group hopes a new direction in fisheries management will mean its fears over the vanishing resource will finally be heard.

An inquiry into the Earthquake Commission is needed for the sake of the whole country, an advocacy group says.

The freight industry is now short of 2000 drivers as growing numbers of truckies refuse to use the alternative South Island inland route.

More than 3000 defence personnel from 12 countries are taking part in New Zealand's largest military exercise throughout the upper South Island.

A 17-year-old Seddon man has avoided prison for a fatal crash he caused earlier this year, largely because of the compassion shown by the victim's mother.

Wine growers in Marlborough say their workforce will have to increase by 24 percent in the next three years to support projected growth in the industry.

The Marlborough District Council has developed a software application designed to speed up property inspections in an emergency.

Buller District Council has pulled its support for a planned healthcare centre in Westport in its current form.

A planned $9 million cycle trail from Picton to Kaikōura could be the single biggest benefit to come out of last November's earthquake, Marlborough's mayor says.

Retailers fed up with being shop windows for online buyers are pushing again for the government to collect GST on lower value imported goods.

A farmer in Motueka is appealing to Civil Defence to spare a thought for rural communities when it comes to planning for large-scale disaster.