Canterbury

Heavy rain that drenched parts of the country overnight has headed south to Canterbury, where Christchurch City Council has pumps on standby in case of flooding.

Opposition MPs and some Ashburton businesses have advocated for a lowering of the traffic light system from orange to green, at least for the South Island.

Algae planktonic cyanobacteria has been discovered for the first time at the lagoon, giving it a green tinge and prompting a public health warning.

Recovery managers for the historic Canterbury floods believe a second bridge over the Ashburton River is critical and is now pressing the government for the matter to be taken seriously.

The sound of karate chops and the click of line dancing boots will no longer ring out from some Christchurch community halls soon.

A 19-year-old man has been charged following a horror crash near Timaru in August that took the lives of five teenagers.

The death of a teen over the weekend follows the shooting dead of Connor Whitehead,16, just last month, and the fatal stabbing of Zion Purukamu, 16, at a party in Fendalton in August.

A new research project involving 45 Canterbury farms will look at how specifically designed native plantings could be used to attract beneficial insects, boosting farm yields.

Two people died in crashes in the South Island last night.

The police are investigating a serious assault in central Christchurch this morning.

Burt lives on a farm in Port Levy on the Banks Peninsula, where owner Naomi Abraham started posting funny videos of him during lockdown last year.

MetroBus announced one of their operators does not have enough staff to continue operating the weekday timetable.

Christchurch Airport is committing 400 hectares to create a renewable energy park with a solar farm that will generate enough to power 30,000 homes.

About 2500 Timaru households are on a boil water notice following heavy rain in the region.

The new thermal pool, spa and wellbeing complex is a vote of confidence in the future of tourism and the local economy, Regional Economic Development and Tourism Minister Stuart Nash says.

The finish line is in sight for Ashburton's multi-million dollar CBD makeover.

Cantabrians are hoping the end is in sight for a major post quake build, as contractors work around Covid-19 construction delays.

Port of Timaru workers have voted to strike in their pursuit of an eight percent general wage increase.