Southern elephant seals are the “canary in the coal mine” for the Southern Ocean, offering insight into how the ecosystem may react to future climate change and human impact, new research shows.

Meanwhile, Auckland and Wellington languished in the bottom half of the table.

Otago, Canterbury, Tasman, and Southland have placed in the top four spots on ASB's Regional Economic Scoreboard - which rates regions based on year-on-year growth. Chief Economist Nick Tuffley says ...