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NationalAugust 10

St John braces for another call spike after record-breaking ambulance demand

A Hato Hone St John spokesperson says the current demand for ambulances isn't sustainable, with one call made every 20 seconds.

DunedinAugust 9

Force not with Dunedin road rager who chased motorist with lightsaber

A call from a worried Dunedin resident about an axe-wielding man turned out to be a wanna-be Sith lord allegedly chasing someone with a lightsaber.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinAugust 9

‘We’ve got fatigue from fighting for the arts’: community reeling from recent cuts to Dunedin arts

The wave of recent blows to arts and culture in Dunedin has made the community feel so despondent they might give up fighting, a local playwright fears.

Tim Scott

DunedinAugust 10

Nature File stalwart dies

Zoologist and honorary curator of entomology at Tūhura Otago Museum, Anthony (Tony) Harris, has died.

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DunedinAugust 9

‘Completely blindsided’: ex-boss shocked by charity’s plight

Matthew Littlewood, Tim Scott

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DunedinAugust 9

Officials ponder councillor conduct while Benedict Ong has a ‘perfect’ week

Grant Miller

DunedinAugust 10

Unsupervised learner driver crashes into police car

Laine Priestley

ODT QuizAugust 9

ODT quiz: August 10

Dunedin

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DunedinAugust 9

‘Such a beautiful day’: Free haircuts a help for hundreds

Her “heart is so full” after helping hundreds of people, says the organiser of an event where people could get free haircuts or other services.

Felicity Dear

DunedinAugust 9

Central Dunedin store window smashed in late-night disorder incident

The front window of central Dunedin store Guild was smashed in a late-night incident in Stuart St on Saturday.

Felicity Dear

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DunedinAugust 9

Caught red-handed: Otago students create customised pens to outsmart classroom thieves

For secondary school students “finding pens is like finding money” and becoming the victim of pen theft is all too common.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinAugust 9

Overloads in free power periods leave students shivering

Dunedin students have been left cold and grumpy after multiple power outages at their flats during “free power” periods.

Felicity Dear

Latest News

1

DunedinAugust 10

Nature File stalwart dies

2

South CanterburyAugust 10

Firearm discharged at Timaru property, police say

3

WorldAugust 10

Iran ties Hormuz reopening to US concessions on several demands

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NationalAugust 10

Long Covid advocates call for better data collection, more support

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NationalAugust 10

St John braces for another call spike after record-breaking ambulance demand

Otago

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QueenstownAugust 9

Dogs go barking mad at Coronet

It was four-legged mayhem at Queenstown’s Coronet Peak on Saturday as 170 dogs and handlers charged downhill in the 52nd Dog Derby.

Guy Williams

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QueenstownAugust 9

Mental health services boost for Queenstown

A “crisis recovery cafe” may be running in the Queenstown Central Lakes area by next April.

Tracey Roxburgh

WānakaAugust 9

Wānaka leading NZ in rooftop solar rates

Household wealth, home ownership rates and the 'neighbourhood effect' are driving rooftop solar rates in the absence of widespread incentives, advocates say.

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QueenstownAugust 8

Leadership roles recognised

A Queenstown architect who is a leader in her profession is a category finalist in the Architecture + Women NZ (A+W NZ) Dulux 2026 Awards.

Philip Chandler

Canterbury

ChristchurchAugust 8

Happy to be sitting on more faces than ever

If you don't like the name loosen up, says the Christchurch founder of Happy To Sit On Your Face Sunglasses, Leigh Pickering.

Kees Chalmers

ChristchurchAugust 7

A career shaped by crisis, change and making the difficult decisions

For Caroline Harvie-Teare, leading Venues Ōtautahi is more than running events. It is about helping Christchurch rebuild, grow and believe in itself again,

Raphael Franks

ChristchurchAugust 7

$150k of meth seized in Christchurch raid

Police seized half a kilo of methamphetamine worth about $150,000 in a raid in Christchurch today.

ChristchurchAugust 7

Former Radio Avon broadcaster Morry Shanahan dies in New York

Well-known former Christchurch broadcaster and radio pioneer Morry Shanahan is being remembered as a passionate and talented teacher.

Raphael Franks

National

NationalAugust 10

Long Covid advocates call for better data collection, more support

People with Long Covid are calling on politicians to collect better data on the disease, and enable those with it to access disability support services.

Kate Green of RNZ

NationalAugust 10

Police officer used work device to search for pornography

An Auckland officer used his work devices to search for pornographic material for more than two years.

NationalAugust 10

Most teachers want NCEA improved, not removed: survey

Most secondary teachers are not convinced the NCEA school qualification needs replacing, a new national survey shows.

NationalAugust 9

PM says fuel excise tax rise, accommodation levy could be on the cards

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says raising the fuel excise tax and imposing an accommodation levy could be on the cards if National is re-elected.

Southland

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SouthlandAugust 9

Arm wrestling tournament coming to Invercargill Central

Arm wrestlers from across Southland will be facing off at Invercargill Central mall on Saturday.

Tayler Mutton

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SouthlandAugust 9

Record numbers at Gore Hug a Rig event

The 17th Hug a Rig event had a record number of participants in Gore on Saturday afternoon.

Gemma Sinclair

Sport

RugbyAugust 9

Five newcomers in Black Ferns squad

Otago halfback Maia Joseph has been named in the Black Ferns squad for their bumper end of year tour.

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SportAugust 9

Thunder storm into first final in 12 years after overtime win

There are victories.

Kayla Hodge

RugbyAugust 9

Proctor coming home, door open for Mo’unga recall?

Another All Blacks player’s tour of South Africa is over, opening the door to the possibility of a recall for first five Richie Mo’unga.

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RugbyAugust 9

Dunedin women soar to victory in club rugby final

A first-half scoring spree set the Dunedin Ururoa up for a commanding 52-27 victory in the premier women’s club final at Tahuna Park on Saturday.

Wayne Parsons

Lifestyle

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The MixAugust 7

Captain Cook’s troubled legacy

The work of understanding James Cook’s role in our history is under full sail again, as historian Tony Ballantyne publishes a new book. He tells Paul Gorman of the vast territory it charts.

Paul Gorman

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The MixAugust 7

Must-see films at the festival

While Ōtepoti’s film lovers have become accustomed to a few festival titles bypassing our city in recent years, this year’s shortened catalogue still delivers a rich and varied selection

The MixAugust 7

Sarkies watches Aramoana film 20 years on

For the first time in 20 years, director Rob Sarkies settled into a cinema seat in Auckland’s Hollywood Cinema, to rewatch Out of the Blue, his 2006 film on about the Aramoana massacre.

The MixAugust 7

Spotlight on cooking kūmara

There are few ingredients more quintessentially Kiwi than kūmara.

Business

BusinessAugust 10

IRD concerns over cash payments in horticulture sector

The Inland Revenue says cash payments to workers are one of the major factors leading it to publicly call out the horticulture sector for bad tax practices.

BusinessAugust 9

Kiwibank increases some home loan, term deposit rates

Kiwibank is putting up some of its home loan and term deposit fixed rates.

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Rural LifeAugust 7

Christchurch startup branches out to commercial goal of lab-grown fruit and nut ingredients

A Christchurch startup growing fruit and nut cells in a laboratory is stepping up production next year towards a commercial launch.

Tim Cronshaw

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Rural LifeAugust 7

Canterbury’s $50m solar farm about to be turned on to generate power for 6000 homes

A new Canterbury solar farm is being plugged in to generate electricity for 6000 homes at a cost of $50 million as another massive project in the MacKenzie Country nears approval.

Tim Cronshaw

Rural Life

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Rural PeopleAugust 9

Shooting for the stars; helping women build confidence aim of new venture

From self-pleasure to shotguns, it’s a finishing school with a difference. Forget cutlery etiquette and social graces, Kingston dynamo Laura Koot is helping women gain confidence through a programme targeted at rural women like herself.

Sally Rae

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North OtagoAugust 6

‘Hell of a two years’: From broken neck to rare blood cancer

“It's been one hell of a two years.” That is how Waianakarua woman Henrietta Purvis describes the period from August 8, 2024, when she broke her neck in a farm quad-bike crash to her recovery from a stem cell transplant a year later.

Sally Rae

DairyAugust 5

Outstanding in her field: Taieri cow co-wins top Holstein Friesian regional competition

For the first time, the top prize in the Holstein Friesian New Zealand Otago Progeny Competition has a joint winner.

Shawn McAvinue

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DairyAugust 5

Bark chip calving pad provides many benefits on dairy farm in Eastern Southland

A bark chip calving pad reduces soil damage, ensures a herd gets their minerals and makes a diet transition and calving easier, an Eastern Southland sharemilker says.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineAugust 4

Food is about enjoyment, says award-winning chef

Food & WineAugust 4

Fall in love with pasta all over again

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Food & WineAugust 4

Kiwi wine success on world stage

Food & WineAugust 4

A brief history of popcorn — and its cinema snack sidekicks

World

WorldAugust 10

Iran ties Hormuz reopening to US concessions on several demands

Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the US must meet other conditions.

WorldAugust 9

Roadside remains found in suitcase in NSW not human

Remains found inside a discarded suitcase by the side of a regional NSW road do not belong to a woman, as first thought.

WorldAugust 9

Trump's new Gaza plan ‘unacceptable’, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated his rejection of Donald Trump's latest Gaza plan in televised remarks to his government on Sunday.

WorldAugust 9

Two planes involved in near-miss at Sydney Airport

Two planes have avoided a nasty crash at Australia's busiest airport as it struggles with staff shortages.

West Coast

West CoastAugust 8

One critically injured in crash near Greymouth

One person has been critically injured in a crash at Paroa, just south of Greymouth, this morning.

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West CoastAugust 4

Possible kōkako sightings ‘very encouraging’

A possible Haast encounter of an elusive bird with a $10,000 bounty on it is the latest to get the South Island Kōkako Trust excited.

Janna Sherman

Video

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DunedinAugust 9

Officials ponder councillor conduct while Benedict Ong has a ‘perfect’ week

By most people’s standards, Benedict Ong had had a rough week.

Grant Miller

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DunedinAugust 7

Mini rally, big fun

More than 20 Mini owners from around the South Island, will set off from the St Clair Esplanade this morning for the fourth annual Mini Coast to Coast Rally, to Haast and back.

John Lewis

DunedinAugust 7

Fenz and union trade barbs and blame after house fire roars during weekly strike

A Dunedin house fire has inflamed a year-long dispute between firefighters and their bosses after it broke out during a one-hour strike.

Laine Priestley

DunedinAugust 7

Driver’s medical event triggers airborne crash

One person was left in a serious condition after a vehicle flew over a fence and smashed into a lamp post in Dunedin.

Laine Priestley

Opinion

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OpinionAugust 9

Opinion: Coalition leadership is hard. Luxon’s ‘nuclear option’ of electoral reform is not the answer

Much to everyone’s surprise — including, it seems, his National Party colleagues — Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has committed to offering voters the chance to revisit their electoral system. Again.

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OpinionAugust 9

Cartoonist’s view - Yeo

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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OpinionAugust 9

The witch trials preceding Salem

North Berwick has a number of claims to fame, but there’s a darker side to this quiet little village, one that is hardly commemorated about the town.

Jean Balchin

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OpinionAugust 9

Venezuela: Unfinished Business

Experienced imperialists understand that you can’t just take over a country over and expect it to run itself. It takes time and work to turn it into an obedient and profitable colony, and two months is not enough.

Gwynne Dyer

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EDITORIAL

EditorialAugust 9

Hospital questions ongoing

Those who campaigned for the new Dunedin Hospital may have been excited to see structures appearing above the site fenceline in recent weeks.

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OpinionAugust 7

Today in History, August 8 2026

Today is Saturday, August 8, the 220th day of 2026.

100 Years Ago

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NewsAugust 9

Powering ahead

CHRISTCHURCH, August 9: In bleak weather and in the impressive surroundings of snow encrusted hills the extensions of the Lake Coleridge power scheme were officially opened to-day by the Prime Minister.

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NewsAugust 7

First woman to swim channel

Although several women have tried to conquer the Channel, none succeeded up to Miss Ederle’s present attempt.

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NewsAugust 6

Tannock’s botanic advice

This is a busy time in the greenhouse. Space has to be found for the various pots and boxes of seedlings, as well as for the ordinary occupants, and it is very difficult to keep it neat and tidy.

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NewsAugust 4

Dunedin teaches netball lesson

The Christchurch-Dunedin Training College Tournament was continued yesterday in ideal weather conditions.