Southland

Fancy playing ball on Invercargill's Oreti Beach? Don't worry about bringing a ball from home - just pick one up off the sand.

A couple have been arrested near Mosgiel this morning after allegedly assaulting and threatening a woman with a knife then stealing her car last night in Invercargill.

Scores of volunteers painted a cherished place in the Catlins at the weekend.

Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks says it is time for a comprehensive discussion on what Southland facilities are regional assets and how they might be funded by the province's three councils.

It is three days out from the start of the 2015 Bluff oyster season and Graeme Wright's phone is ringing red hot.