Stories by Lois Williams

Goldmining should be considered an essential service, West Coast Regional Council chairman and alluvial claim owner Allan Birchfield says.

The impasse over the completion of Te Nikau Grey Hospital is over -- courtesy of the Covid-19 emergency.

From midnight tonight civil authority on the West Coast will be vested in just two men and those they command.

A camping lobby group has complained to the ombudsman that Kaikōura's new freedom camping rules flout the law - and the Human Rights Act.

West Coast DHB flew 78 patients from Buller to other hospitals by helicopter last year - at a minimum cost of $5455 per trip.

The West Coast DHB is to take a closer look at cases of suicide in the region at the urging of two board members.

Residents of Kaikōura's east coast communities are pressing ahead with a bid to break away from the Kaikōura District Council and become part of Marlborough.

Resentment has reached boiling point on the West Coast over the government's determination to protect native flora and fauna on private land.

The West Coast District Health Board is planning to tackle a shortage of hospital doctors with a new breed of medics: rural generalists.

The Conservation Minister is ruling out compensation for West Coasters whose land has been newly classified as a significant wetland or natural area.

Preparation to open Te Nikau Grey Hospital and Health Centre begins this month.

West Coast landowners have wiped out more wetlands in the past 20 years than in any other region, Forest and Bird claims.

West Coast council mayors and chairs want changes to the their local conservation board, protesting that it's too "green". They've put up candidates they say would be a better fit.

Punakaiki people who want a community centre have mounted a blistering defence against a handful of locals who questioned their motives.

Buller District Council has lifted a 'boil water' notice for Reefton residents after tests showed the town reservoir is clear of E coli bacteria.

Punakaiki locals who have campaigned for a community centre in their village say submissions from some who oppose the project are so offensive they are seeking legal advice.

Hokitika people appear keen to be part of a new freshwater group, according to the West Coast Regional Council.

Staff and patients at Grey Base Hospital are facing increased health risks from old and outdated x-ray machines.

People who care about their local rivers and the way the water is used might want to show up for meetings on the West Coast this week - and volunteers for a water management group are needed.

A hefty pay rise for West Coast regional councillors has raised eyebrows, and a former mayor says district councillors "do far more work" than regional councillors.

Complaints about water pollution on the West Coast are on the rise and a good number involve small gold mining operations.

The West Coast Regional Council says its investment in a 1080 poison factory in Canterbury is a sound one that will deliver increasing returns.

Openness and transparency will be the norm at West Coast DHB meetings from now on - by order of its new chairman Rick Barker.

West Coast regional councillors getting a hefty pay rise - whether they want it or not.