The Dunedin City Council has formalised new partnerships with the Otago University Students' Association and the trust running the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.

If value for money - or, more specifically, value for $49,162.42 a year - is not seen in the next 12 months, the Queenstown Lakes District Council could pull out of Local Government New Zealand.

Otago's economy fared poorly in the latest ANZ regional trends quarterly economic survey, coming at the lower end of the 12 regions of the 14 which recorded back-to-back quarterly increases.

An Ohope businessman has pleaded guilty to two charges of drink-driving causing injury after reversing into two young girls.

The United States wants to continue a criminal data matching scheme for assessing risks of threats that it began with New Zealand in advance of the Rugby World Cup.

Rescuers went building to building in search of victims and survivors picked through the rubble of their shattered homes, a day after a massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, wiping out blocks of houses and killing at least 24 people.

Billowing smoke from a pizza restaurant fire shut down parts of central Sydney, and about 1200 people were evacuated from nearby offices.