James Beech

The Aroha String Quartet (from left) first violinist Haihong Liu, cellist Robert Ibell, second violinist Blythe Press and viola player Zhongxian Jin, all of Wellington, are ready to give their debut performance in Queenstown on October 22.

Hip indie act Lawrence Arabia will break out of touring New Zealand's usual ''Big Four'' cities and return to the Southern Lakes with the help of the Festival of Colour.

Bella Kalolo is ready to electrify Queenstown with soul power when the Christchurch-born singer celebrates the release of her new EP with a live show late this month.

Queenstown's tourism operators, marketing body and chamber of commerce are riding the crest of a national wave to capitalise on China, the resort and the country's fastest-growing visitor market. James Beech finds out how Queenstown is becoming Chinatown.

Oscar Kightley says he has no problem entertaining audiences of thousands of people, but swimming ''still kind of freaks me out''.

A Christchurch woman had only three weeks to prepare to join her Queenstown mother on the $10 Queenstown Challenge for Cure Kids, but the dynamic duo were all smiles at the finish line.

The Ministry of Education is confident the conversion of an empty space between classroom blocks into an extra classroom at Remarkables Primary School will ease pressure from rising pupil numbers ''in the short term''.

Meri Leask is still recovering from the ''shock'' of being hailed as New Zealand's champion of water safety and having a haka performed in her honour.

New Zealand men are up to 12 times more likely to drown than women and the misuse of alcohol is the prime reason across all ethnicities, a University of Otago researcher says.

A former Royal New Zealand Navy diver turned Water Safety New Zealand ambassador will discuss how he survived four days and three nights lost at sea, when he addresses a conference in Queenstown today.

Saving lives is the aim of the first International Water Safety and Aquatic Education Conference this week in Queenstown, which is leading the way in compulsory life jacket use.

A British life jacket advocate has praised New Zealand for leading the world in tackling boating safety issues.

Deputy Prime Minister Bill English says he is concerned the ''Stand Up Otago'' campaign is ''a bit too negative about the South'' when it has been performing better economically than the North.

Fake NZSki passes worth $40,000 have been seized by police in a sting operation which led to a Malaysian holiday-maker being placed in custody charged with seven forgery-related offences.

Two pilots on a training flight are in hospital after their crashed plane was found upside down in a remote valley near Queenstown this morning.