Canterbury

The Waimakariri District Council will consider a proposal from DOC to close the upper Ashley Rakahuri River to vehicles while birds are nesting.

Christchurch City Council staff signed off $125,000 for this year's Canterbury A&P show without consulting councillors.

The Crown has started its closing address in the trial of John Muchirahondo by reading out some of the words of the 15 women who have made complaints against him.

The fire flared up earlier today due to high winds but is now under control, FENZ said.

The death will be referred to the coroner.

Christchurch Police have been made aware of a male making suspicious approaches to school girls and other young people.

The move comes after police confirmed it had arrested every member of the gang's Christchurch chapter in a major drug bust.

Emergency services were called to a Barrington Street property on Wednesday afternoon - but police are not confirming a child died.

Police say officers are in the early stages of determining what happened.

A Christchurch couple want to lay claim to $232k cash they found tucked away in their ceiling in five dusty, vacuum sealed plastic bricks. Audio

Christchurch has more pokie machines per capita than any other main centre and the council is worried about the rise in online gambling.

Instead, its been recommended the council support a national bid led by the New Zealand Olympic Committee.

Firefighters battling a blaze in Waipara say overnight rain has both helped and hindered their cause.

The defence case opened today for a man facing multiple sexual assault charges, with his lawyer saying the defence is simply that his client always believed the interactions were consensual.

The rural sector in north Canterbury's Hurunui district describe how drought conditions and demanding economic settings have left them battling. Audio

Farmers and community leaders in North Canterbury tell RNZ about the ongoing drought, tough economic conditions and how the locals have been supporting each other.

Motorists may save up to 49 seconds off their journey on Christchurch's Southern Motorway if a proposal to raise the speed limit goes ahead.

Conditions continue to hamper firefighting efforts at a large forestry fire in North Canterbury

Pirate bugs and other "natural enemies" are being used to fight off a pest that's been hurting potato crops for over a decade. Audio