By YARDLEY, Mike It's nearly as certain as death and taxes - law and order, being a top-tier election issue. With Christchurch experiencing a mini crimewave this week, and violent crime continuing to surge, law and order is a perennial concern.

By STEEMAN, Marta North Canterbury electricity lines company MainPower estimates it could cost $200 million to become 75 per cent self-sufficient in energy by developing a wind farm and a couple of small hydro plants.

WATER BATTLE SITES Central Plains Water scheme: involves taking water from the Rakaia and Waimakariri rivers and storing it in a reservoir in the dammed Waianiwaniwa Valley. The water will be used to irrigate 60,000ha bounded by the rivers, SH1 and the Malvern foothills.

By CREAN, Mike From primers to post-graduate students, George Knox taught at every level of formal education in New Zealand. But the University of Canterbury Emeritus Professor of Zoology was most acclaimed for his research.

By GORMAN, Paul When a fight over water breaks out, the battleground is usually the Resource Management Act. But can the act contain this rush for liquid gold? PAUL GORMAN reports. .