An attempt by a sacked Oceana Gold employee to claim costs for an ERA hearing has backfired, costing him more than the company was ordered to pay him.

Self-proclaimed weather guru Ken Ring is wildly astray in his January predictions for the South Island hydro lakes region, in his 2013 weather almanac.

A man naked from the waist down stopped to pick up two Chilean women hitchhiking on the West Coast.

A "cheap as chips" old villa for sale in Greymouth, at only $25,000 is attracting interest, but as yet no one is prepared to have a crack at the major renovation project.

Heather and Dave Gunterare want answers over why their "perfectly healthy" 15-year-old son died after having his appendix removed at Grey Base Hospital.

A sexual assault victim faced her attacker in court and described how his "depravity" had robbed her of her childhood.

An Australian contractor which lost three staff members in the Pike River Mine disaster has been fined $46,800 after admitting breaches of the Health and Safety Act.

Pike River contractor Valley Longwall will be sentenced today for failing to ensure the safety of workers who died in explosions at the mine.

Former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall will defend charges he failed to keep his miners safe but says he is sorry the tragedy ever occurred.