Stories by Samantha Gee

Large swarms of krill have been spotted floating off the Kaikōura coastline, with seabirds and fish feasting on the crustaceans.

It is hoped a forestry fire in Tasman's Lee Valley will be contained by the end of the day, with evacuated residents able to return home. Audio

The temporary Interislander ferry terminal in Picton could become a permanent fixture as KiwiRail winds up its work on the port redevelopment in the seaside town.

Nearly 1000 fur seals have died along the Kaikōura coastline in the past five months - scientists say it is a result of warmer sea temperatures and depleted fish stocks.

The long-delayed Waimea Dam in the Tasman District is not finished nor full, but local residents and growers are likely to need water from it in the dry months ahead.

The central Marlborough Sounds is home to a team of rural firefighters who do not have a fire truck or even a station.

The council notices require the earthquake-prone buildings to be strengthened or replaced by November 2028.

The camp is fully booked until mid-February and the local store is bracing to sell tens of thousands of icecreams.

The family of a man killed while cycling to Christchurch for his first grandchild's baby shower hopes his death serves as a reminder of the dangers of drink driving.

The Tasman District Council is warning people to be aware of nesting kārearea / falcons, which have been attacking unsuspecting walkers and mountain bikers in the Richmond Hills.

It will be another decade before Nelson Hospital's redevelopment is complete, with the facility already operating at capacity.

The mechanical device initially left staff stumped after being donated with a box of medical equipment.

Nelson City Council has offered to buy out 10 homes threatened by slip-prone land in Brook Street at a cost of more than $5 million.

With a hot, dry, El Niño summer forecast, Nelson residents are anxious to avoid a repeat of the big Pigeon Valley fire in 2019.

More than 1500 kapa haka performers from primary schools across Aotearoa are performing at a national competition in Whakatū Nelson this week.

There are plans to install new membrane filters in Motueka's Wastewater Treatment Plant by the end of next month, with analysis underway on the existing filters to determine the cause of the problem.

Banded dotterel nests in the Waimakariri River have disappeared after Defence Force vehicles were seen doing driver training in the area.

Nelson residents have to wait another six months for decisions on buyouts of their homes that were destroyed by floods last year.

Westland Mineral Sands plans to mine 110 hectares at Mananui, near Lake Mahinepua, for ilmenite, garnet and gold.

An estuary has long been used due to its safety and proximity to fishing grounds. But local iwi oppose vehicle access as the area is of cultural significance.

Councils in the top of the South Island are grappling with the task of installing protozoa barriers on small, rural water supplies and finding the funding to do so.

A papakāinga development at Te Āwhina Marae in Motueka is set to welcome whānau tenants into the first of its 20 homes.

At a public meeting in Nelson Cathedral, candidates made their pitch for the seat currently held by Labour and for 24 years before that by National.

A home invasion that began with Killer Beez gang associates looking for members of the Mongrel Mob in Nelson, ended with a young man being shot in the chest.

It has been 50 years since the first commercial wine grapes were planted in Marlborough, when Montana Wines founder Frank Yukich claimed wine from the region would become world famous.