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

SouthlandOctober 6

‘Killed my will to live’ — victim hits back as tormentor jailed for nearly five years

A woman who was subject to a Southland man’s terrifying five-year campaign of domestic violence says the ordeal “shattered my soul”

Rob Kidd

QueenstownOctober 6

Massive Walter Peak blaze grows to 1200 hectares

Crews will continue battling a huge vegetation fire on the southern shores of Lake Wakatipu, as forecast wind is likely to make efforts more challenging.

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DunedinOctober 6

Claims of target ‘gaming’ in health sector

Claims of the country’s health targets being widely “gamed” in order to get a favourable result, especially in the ED services, have led to a lack of confidence in the system, professionals say.

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinOctober 6

Dunedin cannabis candidate facing violence charges

An election candidate is on active assault charges but says he was “wrongly arrested” and continues to stand.

Felicity Dear

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BusinessOctober 6

From footballer to candlemaker: How a sports injury changed a Dunedin man’s life

Tim Scott

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QueenstownOctober 6

Queenstown cable car company wants to use reserve land

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinOctober 6

Dunedin aged care centre crowned South Island’s best

Laine Priestley

ODT QuizOctober 6

ODT quiz: October 7

Dunedin

DunedinOctober 6

Bus hub stabber to have ‘urgent’ Supreme Court appeal

A teen’s latest appeal after stabbing a Dunedin schoolboy to death at the city’s bus hub has left the victim’s father fuming.

Rob Kidd

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DunedinOctober 6

The battle to be Mr Relevant

In American football there is a player every year called "Mr Irrelevant’’ — the last man selected in the NFL draft.

Mike Houlahan

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DunedinOctober 6

Vaccine hunt underway in face of ‘tragic’ hoiho decline

An Otago-led virus vaccine hunt is underway as part of the last-ditch quest to save New Zealand’s “tragic” decline of yellow-eyed penguins.

Mary Williams

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DunedinOctober 6

‘I feel so stuck’: Otago renters grapple with high costs

A schoolteacher whose adult son is sleeping on her couch because of the high cost of rent says she feels “stuck” and cannot find anywhere cheaper to live.

Tim Scott

Latest News

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WānakaOctober 6

World-renowned Wānaka health leader dies

2

NationalOctober 6

No retrial for Tamihere over Swedish backpackers’ deaths

3

NationalOctober 6

Council knew of dangerous intersection for years before pregnant woman killed

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West CoastOctober 6

Truck and trailer rolls in Grey District

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QueenstownOctober 6

Massive Walter Peak blaze grows to 1200 hectares

Otago

WānakaOctober 6

World-renowned Wānaka health leader dies

Doctor, educator and advocate for Māori health Emeritus Professor Colin Mantell, of Wānaka, has died.

North OtagoOctober 6

Oamaru petrol station closes following ‘issues’ with stormwater infrastructure after July floods

A service station in Oamaru has been temporarily closed.

Charley-Kai John

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QueenstownOctober 6

Long-awaited regional deal finally signed

Queenstown’s traffic congestion made its own point to the government minister sent to sign a deal aimed at addressing the pressures of growth in the region.

Guy Williams

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QueenstownOctober 6

Government in negotiations to buy land for second Queenstown high school

With Queenstown's only high school facing severe roll growth pressure, the Government yesterday committed to a 12-classroom extension to allow it to enroll another 255 students.

Philip Chandler

Editor's Picks

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DunedinOctober 2

‘We have nowhere else to go’: Taxman blamed as small Otago town loses only pub

A small Otago town has lost its only pub and its owner is blaming Inland Revenue.

Tim Scott

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DunedinSeptember 28

Dunedin lawyer’s courthouse theft leaves career in tatters

Rob Kidd

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DunedinSeptember 30

Dunedin killer driver released from prison more than two years early

Rob Kidd

Canterbury

ChristchurchOctober 6

Copper thieves ‘taking their lives into their own hands’ when stripping large farm irrigators

A Canterbury irrigation specialist is worried the thieves targeting large pivot irrigators for their copper wiring may end up getting themselves killed.

SelwynOctober 6

State highway speed limit changes to take effect soon

Lower speed limits will be introduced on state highways in Canterbury’s Selwyn district within the next few weeks.

Daniel Alvey

North CanterburyOctober 6

High fuel prices creating public transport challenges

Fuel costs are continuing to bite, as Canterbury’s regional council grapples with an increased in demand for bus services.

David Hill

ChristchurchOctober 5

Man allegedly found with shotgun after police called to firearms incident

A man was due to appear in Christchurch District Court on Tuesday after police pulled over a vehicle and allegedly found a sawn-off shotgun.

Election 2026

NationalOctober 6

Opportunity remains kingmaker in latest poll

Both National and Labour are stuck in the 20s in the latest 1News Verian poll - while the Opportunity Party continues to hold the balance of power.

RNZ

NationalOctober 5

Peters slams National promise to cut foreign aid as ‘dangerous’

The National Party wants to redirect foreign aid money into funding for new medicines if it leads the next government, but its coalition partner has slammed the decision as “dangerous” and “irresponsible”.

NationalOctober 5

National crashes, Greens surge, Opportunity kingmaker in latest poll

National has plunged below 26 percent in a new RNZ-Reid Research poll, while the Greens have surged about a month out from voting day.

NationalOctober 5

Near-miss with train interrupts Greens' level crossing announcement

While announcing plans to fund the removal of some level crossings over safety concerns, Green Party MPs witnessed something of a near-miss themselves.

National

NationalOctober 6

No retrial for Tamihere over Swedish backpackers’ deaths

David Tamihere will not face a retrial over the 1989 deaths of Swedish backpackers Heidi Paakkonen and Sven Höglin.

NationalOctober 6

Council knew of dangerous intersection for years before pregnant woman killed

Official information shows that since 2019, the Napier City Council has received 12 reports of near-misses, incidents, safety concerns and hazards such as lights malfunctioning.

NationalOctober 6

Woman's body found after pair jumped into river to evade police

The body of a woman who was missing after jumping into a river while evading police in Ōpotiki on Sunday has been found.

NationalOctober 5

Hollywood actor Cliff Curtis charged with drink driving over waterfront crash

New Zealand Hollywood actor Cliff Curtis has been charged with driving under the influence after a car crash on Auckland's waterfront.

Southland

SouthlandOctober 6

Didymo found in remote Fiordland river

Didymo has been found in a previously pristine Fiordland river.

SouthlandOctober 6

'Decades behind': wilding conifer concerns aired

Environment Southland has sharpened its feedback for a national wilding conifer strategy after several councillors aired concerns at a meeting.

Matthew Rosenberg

Sport

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RugbyOctober 6

Frizell ‘not there yet’ but eager to be back in black

Shannon Frizell turns 33 early next year but he still feels he has plenty of good rugby left in him.

Hayden Meikle

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RugbyOctober 6

Otago’s injury concerns lift ahead of NPC quarterfinal

The injury ward has emptied out.

Adrian Seconi

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RugbyOctober 6

Plenty to be proud of from Spirit season

There is a sour taste that is lingering from not making the Farah Palmer Cup Championship final.

Kayla Hodge

SportOctober 6

Queenstown administrator makes top table at world ice hockey

A Queenstown connection has made history on the world ice hockey stage.

Lifestyle

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TravelOctober 5

Across Continents With Nana: A journey of legacy, love and African wildness

Some journeys begin as a dream, but mine began with my Nana. At 90 years old, she announced - to her family’s horror - she was heading back to Africa,

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The MixOctober 2

Show employs humour to explore Māori identity

Īhaka Martyn is returning to where it all began with his show exploring the nature of identity, he tells Tom McKinlay.

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The MixOctober 2

Reb Fountain is singing songs for now

Reb Fountain is back with a new album, and touring with a five-piece band.

The MixOctober 2

Communities are putting up green shoots

Communities standing up for nature are benefiting from the seeds they have sown, writes Scott Willis.

Business

BusinessOctober 5

Business confidence rises to highest point in over as year

Business confidence has improved markedly despite the uncertainty of the US war with Iran and soft trading conditions as firms loom ahead to recovery.

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BusinessOctober 5

Pensioners huddling in their beds, struggling on poverty line

Elderly tenants unable to pay all of their bills on a single pension are living below the poverty line in Christchurch.

Tim Cronshaw

BusinessOctober 5

Petrol price hits highest level since start of Iran war

Petrol prices have hit their highest level since the start of the Iran-US war.

BusinessOctober 5

Woolworths changes up its 'three for $20' special

Woolworths' 'three-for-$20' special is no more and has been replaced with a "three-for-$24.99" offer.

Rural Life

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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

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Red MeatSeptember 30

A hope of higher prices for yearling bulls to continue at southern sales

The outlook is positive as the spring bull sale season nears in Southland and Otago, an agent and vendors say.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 30

Commemorating 65 years of fine wool harvesting in Central Otago

Get set to celebrate a New Zealand Merino Shears milestone for two days in Alexandra from Friday.

Shawn McAvinue

DairySeptember 30

Southland dairy farmer seeks position on Fonterra board of directors

Southland dairy farm owner Peter Moynihan is a candidate vying for two farmer-elected positions on Fonterra’s board of directors.

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 6

Disgraced US televangelist Jim Bakker dead at 86

US televangelist Jim Bakker, who built a multimillion-dollar empire before being disgraced by a sex scandal, a fraud conviction and divorce, has died aged 86.

WorldOctober 6

‘Biggest cut in our history’: Australia’s opposition reveals radical migration plan

Australia's conservative opposition coalition has proposed to slash temporary and humanitarian visas in what it calls the "biggest cut to immigration" in the nation's history.

Reuters

WorldOctober 6

AI's race to transform the world before the money runs out

Never has so much cash flowed into a new technology as is pouring into AI, eclipsing the sums splurged on railways or the internet when those technological revolutions sucked in capital.

Reuters

WorldOctober 6

Soldier dies, five injured in training exercise in Darwin

An Australian soldier has died and five others have been injured during a training exercise in Darwin.

AAP

West Coast

West CoastOctober 6

Truck and trailer rolls in Grey District

Traffic management is in place after a large truck and trailer unit rolled at Taylorville in the Grey District.

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West CoastOctober 6

‘Cokitika’ — Druggy West Coast town gets Class A new nickname

Hokitika locals have dubbed their town “Cokitika” due to its high drug use.

Janna Sherman

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Class ActSeptember 21

Class Act 2026: All the recipients

Class Act celebrates the excellence of young people in our province and now, more than ever, we will be looking to them for leadership.

Paul McIntyre

Video

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BusinessOctober 6

From footballer to candlemaker: How a sports injury changed a Dunedin man’s life

When a football injury sidelined him for 18 months, Philip Yeardley thought his life was over.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 5

‘Stunning’ splash of colour reflects Otago Peninsula’s natural beauty

A mural capturing the essence of an Otago Harbour sunrise has made for a “stunning” addition to Macandrew Bay Library.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinOctober 5

‘I'm very conscious of the poverty in Africa’: Dunedin nan racks up 37 years of sponsoring children

Mary McFarlane treasures her memory of a young girl’s delight at being gifted a box of pencils.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinOctober 5

Onwards and upwards

Less than three months after the first steel column was erected on the new Dunedin hospital  inpatients building site, the facility is rising rapidly from the extensive foundations.

John Lewis

Opinion

OpinionOctober 6

Low productivity is NZ’s economic elephant in the room

Last week’s Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update from the Treasury has given political parties their clearest picture yet of the economy they could inherit after November’s election.

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OpinionOctober 6

Please, no health promises under pressure

It would be good if this election campaign, leaders could resist making up health policy on the hoof.

Elspeth McLean

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OpinionOctober 6

Cartoonist’s view: October 7

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionOctober 6

Gearing up for a proper foreign policy debate

New Zealand finally has a foreign policy debate worthy of the name.

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OpinionOctober 5

Cartoonist’s view: October 6

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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OpinionOctober 5

Anti-war novel ‘Slaughterhouse‑Five’ remains a target of censorship

Bruce Severy, a full-bearded, idealistic 26-year-old, moved from Southern California in 1973 to the small town of Drake, North Dakota, where he had accepted a job teaching English at the public high school.

Susan Farrell

100 Years Ago

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NewsOctober 6

Otago School wins dance section

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 5

Thousands mourn Mother Aubert

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 4

Church of Christ opens

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 2

Kaitangata wins cup

100 years ago