Stories by Tracy Neal

A plan for a new road linking the West Coast and Nelson-Tasman through part of the Kahurangi National Park is being put forward by the Buller District Council.

A South Island district council has spent $18,500 on seeking a legal opinion on the conduct of a councillor, and how confidential information was made public. Audio

A Marlborough district councillor has been censured for leaking confidential information to the media.

Regional airports around New Zealand are warning the government not to over-react to calls for drastic changes to domestic aviation security.

Light rain in Marlborough has not eased fire risk concerns but is providing a break for firefighters still working on the Waikakaho Valley, the Fire Service says.

Police have spent about $15 million on search and rescue missions in the last five years, official figures show.

Aquaculture's value to the Marlborough region has been confirmed in a new report - but it warns of the potential threat posed by looming consent deadlines.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall started the day visiting Nelson and Tasman, but the prince then went on to Westport and the duchess to Wellington.

A New Zealand nutraceutical company hopes an energy supplement derived from algae will be a springboard to world markets.

Passengers on the Air New Zealand flight which carried home the All Blacks got to hold the coveted Webb Ellis Cup as it was passed around the plane.

A mining strategy for the South Island's West Coast has been criticised as lacking substance, but the region's development agency insists it is not just more of the same.

A Nelson-based Swiss marine biologist is counting on some New Zealand sailors to help unlock the secrets of climate-change prediction. Video

The Nelson Marlborough District Health Board said an ongoing deterioration in its balance sheet was a significant concern, but insists it is not the result of poor management.

A Golden Bay couple is planning to sue the police over the way they were treated during the investigation into the 1080 blackmail case.

New Zealand's only on-water ambulance team is getting a new boat but red tape continues to tangle rescue efforts, volunteers say.

A fire in a truck hauling gas cylinders was most likely the result of a mechanical failure in the vehicle, says a fire investigator looking into the blaze in Nelson last week.

A couple is questioning the worth of building consents after spending $11,000 on the fees only to get a leaking shower and the prospect of a $10,000 repair bill.

The cost of going to the doctor and difficulties navigating the health system mean more people in the Nelson region are calling an ambulance for minor ailments.

The landmark Trathen's building, which has stood proudly in the centre of Nelson since 1920, is to be pulled down.

A vessel in distress in the Marlborough Sounds is now being towed to safety in French Pass.

Police are cracking down on speeding on Whakatu Drive, where one vehicle was recorded travelling at almost 200kmh.

The only road serving a community in north Nelson is now officially open, almost four years after it was largely destroyed in a storm.

A record number of whales has been counted in Cook Strait this year but researchers are warning against complacency.