Christina McDonald

If all goes to plan, the Milford road should be reopened in three days, following a major landslip overnight on Friday, the New Zealand Transport Agency says.

A quiet night with no callouts was the best outcome on Saturday, while the Queenstown and Frankton Volunteer Fire Brigades had their annual service awards' dinner.

At 5 years old, Ricky Webster is already an old hand at planting native trees in the Wakatipu.

From designer clothes to toys to water distillers - for the past two months up to 30 volunteers from the Wakatipu Community Church have been sorting through donated items for their forthcoming annual fair.

Commercial property investor confidence is continuing to rise - with a 45% net positive result.

Debris and rocks as large as small cars have blocked the Milford Rd following a major landslide overnight Friday at an section known as "Red Slip".

A crowd of about 30 at the Glenorchy Hall were told yesterday their fight to stop a proposed tunnel and monorail is "one of the biggest issues we have seen" and should ignite the same national passion as the past proposal to mine national parks.

News the Gore district is expected to experience negative growth of -0.3 % per year until 2031 came as no surprise to Mayor Tracy Hicks.

As the Queenstown Lakes District is confirmed as leading New Zealand in population growth, the struggle for affordable housing continues.

The Queenstown and Frankton volunteer fire brigades are planning for their 150th anniversary in October 2013.