ODT.co.nz | Otago Daily Times | Latest South Island News

DunedinOctober 12

Serious injuries after person trapped between cars in Dunedin carpark

A person has been seriously injured after reportedly becoming trapped between two cars in a central Dunedin car park this morning.

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DunedinOctober 12

Cash, clothes and coarse videos — first Dunedinite sentenced for stalking

A Dunedin stalker who showered his ex-partner with cash, gifts and videos of him “shaking his buttocks” left his victim feeling trapped in her own home

Rob Kidd

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BusinessOctober 12

$2.6 million sale sets Dunedin auction record

A home of “near-unrivalled calibre” complete with an award-winning garden has set a Dunedin record after selling at auction for $2.6 million.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 12

King Cobras rapist released from prison with 20 months left on sentence

A Dunedin gang member jailed for a suburban break-in and rape says he was living a lifestyle at the time which “normalised” such crimes.

Rob Kidd

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Central OtagoOctober 12

Minister’s visit to proposed mine site branded ‘outrageous’

Mary Williams

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QueenstownOctober 12

Fast-track meeting hears 11,000 out-of-zone new homes proposed

Tracey Roxburgh

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DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin man wins battle with Wilson Parking over ‘mystery’ address

Matthew Littlewood

ODT QuizOctober 12

ODT quiz: October 13

Dunedin

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DunedinOctober 12

Landlord ‘basically laughed at’ for requesting help from bailiff to boot out ‘extreme’ tenant

A Dunedin landlord is frustrated he cannot get his problematic tenant evicted because the only local bailiff is away.

Felicity Dear

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DunedinOctober 12

Otago’s second-oldest school celebrates 175 years of history in the Valley

From a dark, one-room settler barn to a becoming a modern university training ground, Otago’s second-oldest school has hit 175.

Laine Priestley

DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin set for a drenching as cold front bears down

Dunedin and eastern parts of Otago are in for a drenching as a front moves in, ending a spell of sunny spring weather.

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DunedinOctober 12

Earlier trip may have sown the seed for theft and ditching of plane

A Dunedin man says he may have inadvertently been involved in the bold taking of a plane from Otago Aero Club more than 50 years ago.

Steve Hepburn

Latest News

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DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin set for a drenching as cold front bears down

2

NationalOctober 12

National adamant its superannuation stance has not changed

3

NationalOctober 12

Deputy mayor estimates Wellington pipe fix at $80k per ratepayer

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WorldOctober 12

Cyberattack heats fridges, sparks fires, destroys food across France

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DunedinOctober 12

Serious injuries after person trapped between cars in Dunedin carpark

Otago

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WānakaOctober 12

Wānaka’s economy falling behind: QLDC

Tourism, business diversification and events have been identified as Wānaka seeks the economic activity to support population growth

Ruairi O'Shea

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QueenstownOctober 12

New QLDC boss looks to make use of Wellington experience

If James Stevenson-Wallace was not running the Queenstown Lakes District Council, he reckons he would be moving earth, cultivating plants and helping them grow.

Guy Williams

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Central OtagoOctober 12

High school sweethearts celebrate 65 years of marriage

High school sweethearts Murlyn and Garth McCombe celebrated 65 years of marriage with family and friends at Highland Motorsport Park in Cromwell this week, the milestone marked with cake, loved ones, and a letter from the King.

Carys Trotter

North OtagoOctober 12

Police issue warning after wild pig cripples car

A vehicle has come off second best after colliding with a wild pig near Dunback on Sunday night.

Nic Duff

Editor's Picks

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DunedinOctober 3

‘I’ve survived you’ — victim confronts her Dunedin abuser after six-year nightmare

After six years of abuse by her Dunedin partner, his victim told the court: "I refuse to carry the shame of your actions any longer."

Rob Kidd

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DunedinOctober 10

Dunedin teen who used bitcoin to pay for drug shipments ‘liked the money’

Felicity Dear

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North OtagoOctober 5

Otago school at centre of student ‘sextortion’ allegation revealed

Jules Chin

Canterbury

ChristchurchOctober 12

Why did the pig cross the road?

A rather large pig stopped traffic in Christchurch on Sunday after leaving his owner behind to get to the other side of the road.

SelwynOctober 12

‘People thought we would fail': Selwyn mayor reflects on first year in office

Selwyn's mayor has admitted to having a hectic first year in office, bringing a largely new council together despite a year disrupted by unexpected challenges.

Jonathan Leask, local democracy reporter

North CanterburyOctober 12

ECan to continue supporting Chatham Islands — for now

A more than 20-year partnership between the Chatham Islands and Canterbury regional council is coming to an end – but not because of local government reform.

David Hill

ChristchurchOctober 12

Former Filthy Few gang leader denied parole

A former gang leader serving a life sentence for the murder of his ex-girlfriend has been declined parole, with both the Parole Board and his lawyers agreeing that "further work" is needed - including a pending psychological report.

Election 2026

NationalOctober 12

National adamant its superannuation stance has not changed

National is adamant its stance on superannuation has not changed since its fiery criticisms of other parties' failure to tackle the problem earlier in the year.

LEADER INTERVIEW

NewsOctober 12

Seymour trumpets Act’s ‘excellent progress’

Act New Zealand has risen to new heights in the past three years, literally and figuratively.

Mike Houlahan

NationalOctober 12

ACT's disability cuts poorly researched, won’t work: Mental Health Foundation

The Mental Health Foundation is rubbishing ACT's pre-election proposal to cut more than $650 million worth of disability benefits, saying the plan is "based in bigotry".

NationalOctober 12

Labour pledges to cut school uniform costs

Labour wants to cut back-to-school costs for families by making school uniforms cheaper and allow for "affordable, generic" alternatives to be used

RNZ

Southland

SouthlandOctober 11

Police seek ‘good Samaritans’ who helped victim of serious Invercargill assault

Police investigating a serious assault on a minor in Invercargill want to speak to a couple of “good Samaritans” who picked the victim up and took her home.

SouthlandOctober 10

Election 2026 debate: Invercargill

Mike Houlahan

SouthlandOctober 9

Popular seaside campground at risk of staying closed for summer

Matthew Rosenberg

National

NationalOctober 12

Deputy mayor estimates Wellington pipe fix at $80k per ratepayer

Wellington's deputy mayor is warning it could cost every ratepaying household or business more than $80,000 over the next 25 years to fix the city's poor pipes alone.

NationalOctober 12

Paediatric respiratory care a ‘postcode lottery’ with just nine doctors serving the whole country

A child's access to life-saving specialist respiratory care in New Zealand may depend on where they live.

NationalOctober 12

New Zealand among countries condemning Iran’s 'violent attacks'

New Zealand is among more than 30 countries that have issued a joint statement condemning Iran for what they say are violent attacks against them.

NationalOctober 12

One in three households struggling for food, survey finds

One in three households are struggling to provide affordable, nutritious meals, a new survey finds.

Sport

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RugbyOctober 12

Otago captain happy to chip in for his mates

Otago captain Christian Lio-Willie has earned a good sit-down.

Adrian Seconi

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CricketOctober 12

Otago opening Super Smash season in Alexandra

You cannot beat Central Otago in the summer time.

Kayla Hodge

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GolfOctober 12

St Clair men win dramatic Otago pennant title

Hayden Meikle

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SportOctober 12

Double bronze for Dunedin’s Deans

Dunedin Olympian Caitlin Deans has done the double.

Kayla Hodge

Lifestyle

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TravelOctober 12

Exalted scenery and wildlife on train journey

Arriving at the Vancouver station and after a whip-smart check-in experience, the bagpipes were in full cry, as Mike a Nova Scotia-born piper serenaded our departure in style, in-front of the gleaming navy blue and gold livery of the carriages

Mike Yardley

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The MixOctober 9

Sweet songs sung fast

Japanese originals Shonen Knife are bringing their upbeat punk-pop south next month, Tom McKinlay reports.

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The MixOctober 9

David Byrne is bringing back wisdom

David Byrne’s new book is Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.

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The MixOctober 9

The unexplained mystery of why we turn left

Business

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BusinessOctober 12

ADInstruments’ technology assists Nobel Prize winner’s research

When ADInstruments chief executive Alex Black saw the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had been awarded for pioneering discoveries in optogenetics, it piqued his interest.

Sally Rae

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BusinessOctober 12

‘There’s just not a lot of demand’: Prime Dunedin office vacancies triple over past year

Vacancies of prime office space in Dunedin have more than tripled over the past year, including four and a-half floors in the CBD an expert says could go unclaimed for some time.

Tim Scott

BusinessOctober 11

Petrol prices hit record high — who’s cashing in?

Producers of crude oil, owners of oil refineries and the New Zealand government are among those making more money as the price of fuel hits a record high at the pump.

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BusinessOctober 11

Batcha matcha anyone? Matcha pods developed by Dunedin woman

Kermit the Frog knew a thing or two when he sang that it was cool to be green. This past weekend, Dunedin woman Tamarin Howse attended a New Zealand’s largest matcha festival and exhibition in Auckland.

Sally Rae

Rural Life

Rural Life OtherOctober 8

National woos farmer vote with $300m low-cost loans for water storage

National is promising to lend farmers up to $300 million to help them store more water, as it targets the rural vote in this year's election.

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Rural Life OtherOctober 7

Practical health advice for men focus of Awamoko event

Sam McBride would like to see men’s health have greater recognition in New Zealand.

Sally Rae

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Rural LifeOctober 6

Drones prune control costs by making light work of tracking stray wilding pines

Drones are cutting control costs by tracing wilding pine stragglers in the Tekapo River area.

Tim Cronshaw

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Red MeatSeptember 30

Six-figure sire hits Southland after North Otago stop to collect genetics

An $100,000 black bull is now in his new home in Southland after a stop in Otago to harvest semen to sell to underbidders.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sweet, tender greens mark the beginning of longer days

Food & WineOctober 6

‘Fruity, chocolately, creamy or tangy?’ asks Australian baker

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sauteed Brussels sprouts, leek and crispy kale

In Season: Alison Lambert

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Food & WineOctober 6

Progressive lunch features cheese rolls and pavlova

Rebecca Fox

World

WorldOctober 12

Cyberattack heats fridges, sparks fires, destroys food across France

Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, causing fires and spoiling food.

WorldOctober 12

Man dies after entering tiger enclosure at Yorkshire zoo

A man has died after he entered a tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in England and was attacked.

Reuters

WorldOctober 12

Pope to have surgery for growth on lung

The Pope is to have surgery this week after doctors found a small growth on his lung during a health check.

Reuters

WorldOctober 12

Execution survivor out of hospital, back in prison

Death row inmate Christa Pike has been released from a US hospital and sent back to prison where she will continue receiving medical care following a botched execution attempt.

Reuters

West Coast

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West CoastOctober 12

Quake risk closes second council building

The Westland District Council will not be returning to its earthquake-prone headquarters for the foreseeable future, and another of its public buildings has now also been closed following fresh seismic safety advice.

Janna Sherman

West CoastOctober 12

West Coast leaders wary of spatial plan mandate

West Coast leaders are worried about the cost of the govt's new regional spatial plan requirements when ratepayers have just forked out $10m for the region's new combined district plan.

Vihan Dalal, Local Democracy reporter

Video

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DunedinOctober 12

Battle of Passchendaele commemorated

Soldiers of the Battle of Passchendaele were remembered at a service on Monday.

John Lewis

LEADER INTERVIEW

NewsOctober 12

Seymour trumpets Act’s ‘excellent progress’

Act New Zealand has risen to new heights in the past three years, literally and figuratively.

Mike Houlahan

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DunedinOctober 11

‘It just seems a bit overkill’: More people barred from Dunedin election events

A Dunedin climate activist who was denied entry to a New Zealand First event says police surveillance has “really ramped up” this political cycle.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 11

A full house, and more, greets Winston Peters in Mosgiel

NZ First leader Winston Peters came to town on Sunday, proclaiming that he had saved the new Dunedin Hospital and also the KiwiRail Hiilside workshop, and that next he would prevent the country from becoming an "Orwellian nightmare’’ or from turning into Myanmar or Venezuela.

Mike Houlahan

Opinion

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OpinionOctober 12

Politicians should mind their language if they want to win hearts, minds and votes

Naughty four-letter words, when used by the right people, at the right time, in the right place are the gems of the English language.

Jim Sullivan

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OpinionOctober 12

Cartoonist’s view: October 13

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionOctober 12

We need to talk about banks

New Zealand has many structural problems; not the least of which is our banking system.

Gerrard Eckhoff

OpinionOctober 12

Overseas, digital accessibility is becoming enforceable. New Zealand should not wait

Around the world, digital accessibility is moving from practice to legal accountability.

Andrea Midgen

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EditorialOctober 12

Too many Chiefs

Chief is a powerful word: it means that most important and denotes power and leadership.

Editorial

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OpinionOctober 11

Israel and Palestine: Thirty wasted years

Here is how the high command of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) laid down the rules for “remotely” killing suspected Palestinian activists in the densely populated Gaza Strip after the surprise Hamas attack on Israel three years ago this week (October 7).

Gwynne Dyer

100 Years Ago

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NewsOctober 12

Plenty of sunshine . . .

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 11

Liner on homeward leg

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 9

Māori ABs make an impression

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 8

New rooms to let

100 years ago