Stories by Tracy Neal

Local authorities are being urged to start planning now for an end to global population growth, expected to hit by the end of the century.

A foul-smelling substance splattered over residential properties is most likely to be from waterfowl, not aircraft toilets, the CAA says.

The first rail freight service between Picton and Christchurch in almost a year is due to start this Friday. Video

A road proposal linking the West Coast with the Nelson region is unlikely to stack up economically, a report says.

A member of the anti-poison protest group accused of smearing poison on Nelson MP Nick Smith says a rogue faction could have done it, and the group has condemned the behaviour.

Westport is at risk of a dangerous flood if its dredging boat is sold, a retired seafarer and former harbourmaster says. Audio

The National Party is promising to extend paid parental leave from 18 to 22 weeks and add flexibility to allow both parents to take some concurrent leave.

Nelson's pitch to host the All Blacks initially wasn't taken seriously, but a strong business-minded bid sealed the deal, the region's development agency says.

Humble pāua strapped with a heart rate monitor have been used to demonstrate the effects of climate change.

Geoff Rowling of Motueka is among those mourning the days when taking your boat out guaranteed a snapper for dinner. Audio

Questions remain over the future of the port of Westport a year after cement firm Holcim pulled out of the region.

The Insurance Council is confident most claims for Canterbury homes following the November quake will be settled by the end of the year, its chief executive says. Audio

The most dramatic changes to Marlborough's Pelorus Sound over the last millenium happened in the last century and a half, a new report says.

Feral pigs that have run rampant on the Auckland Islands will be targeted in a large scale pest removal plan for the main island in the group of subantarctic islands, Conservation Minister Maggie…

A Marlborough eco-tourism operator is backing the Department of Conservation's move to ban new marine wildlife viewing permits.

New guidelines designed to make it safer for truck drivers to swap vehicles at the ferry terminal have made it more dangerous, some drivers say.

A community group fighting to save an historic wooden grandstand in Golden Bay has sent Tasman District Council a plan on how it might be kept on site at Takaka Showgrounds. Audio

The low-lying coastal town might have to be moved further inland as climate change takes hold, a councillor has suggested. Audio

With each tourist technically allowed six crayfish, and boats taking out 80 people per day up to 200 days a year, fishers are warning Kaikōura's famous crayfish are under threat.

A successful conservation plan used in the Abel Tasman National Park is now being considered for New Zealand's historic Molesworth high country station.

A New Zealander has been appointed by the British government to lead the trade talks with the rest of the world as Britain leaves the European Union.

Police say they are disappointed that a company has not honoured its obligations to fix problems with special crime-fighting software before it went into liquidation.

A closed-down roadside cafe on the South Island's alternative highway aims to reopen with the Transport Agency's help footing a $15,000 resource consent bill.

An order to remove flat oysters from the Marlborough Sounds spells the end of the industry there, a local farmer says.

A Nelson resident says the city council is using a back-door way to build more houses that are unlikely to be affordable anyway.