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SouthlandSeptember 24

‘People just see the negatives but we love this town’: The small settlement hit by three tragedies

The small rural community of Otautau has dealt with multiple tragedies in the last few years, most recently a young child who was found critically injured at a local property passed away this week.

Tayler Mutton

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DunedinSeptember 24

‘A complete waste of time’: Southern mayors incensed over govt’s merger halt

Southern mayors furious at the government’s halt to amalgamation plans have condemned the move as a joke, a frustration and a “complete waste of time”

Ruby Shaw

WānakaSeptember 24

Seal among artists to play Wānaka concert

Seal, Bastille, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Level 42 are coming to Wanaka, with the international acts set to play this year's Greenstone Summer Concert Tour in January.

Ruairi O'Shea

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DunedinSeptember 24

Latest Ed Sheeran mural attack ‘taking it a bit too far’: Dunedin Palestinian leader

A leader in Dunedin’s Palestinian community says defacing the city’s Ed Sheeran mural a second time might be going “a bit too far”.

Tim Scott

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South OtagoSeptember 24

Class Act duo a case of deja vu

Richard Davison

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Central OtagoSeptember 24

Santana makes $10 million offer to protect lizards

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinSeptember 24

Stunning Dunners and Queenstown top NZ’s holiday hotspots

John Lewis

ODT QuizSeptember 24

ODT quiz: September 25

Dunedin

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DunedinSeptember 24

Spot the Scott: Seven granddaughters wander the same Dunedin school’s halls

Dunedin grandparents Roly and Trudy Scott have single-handedly populated a significant corner of Queen’s High School.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinSeptember 24

Controversial councillor Benedict Ong to have tilt at Parliament

Controversial Dunedin city councillor Benedict Ong has signalled he is making a tilt for Parliament by standing in the November general election as an independent.

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinSeptember 24

More work may have to be done on slumping road

The Dunedin City Council is considering more work on Tanner Rd, which appears to be slipping away, says a resident.

Steve Hepburn

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DunedinSeptember 24

Having a go at (hypothetically) fixing the health system

Six of the University of Otago’s brightest minds deliberated over what needs to be done about our country’s embattled health system on Thursday.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

WorldSeptember 24

Dozens walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN

2

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Deadly Nepal landslide has lessons for Southern Alps

3

NationalSeptember 24

Māori words in curriculum shouldn't be controversial, principals say

4

FootballSeptember 24

New-look All Whites held to 2-2 draw by Palestine

5

NationalSeptember 24

Labour's lead on top issues narrows as National gains - survey

Otago

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North OtagoSeptember 24

$800,000 set aside to tackle contamination threat at former Oamaru gasworks site

The Department of Conservation has set aside $800,000 from government funding announced this week to help prevent historic contamination at the former Oamaru gasworks site eroding into the sea

Charley-Kai John

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QueenstownSeptember 24

Questions over CAA bird strike call

Questions remain as to why the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) initially reported an engine issue experienced by a Qantas aircraft leaving Queenstown almost a fortnight ago was caused by bird strike, when it wasn’t.

Tracey Roxburgh

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South OtagoSeptember 24

Knitters recognised for community work

Tapanui’s Knit and Yarn group has been recognised for its contribution in the Health and Wellbeing category of 2026 Clutha District 2026 Council Community Awards.

Nick Brook

South OtagoSeptember 24

Council supports Dark Sky bid

The Clutha District Council has agreed to provide a letter of support for an application seeking International Dark Sky Park status for an area centred around Purakaunui Recreation Reserve.

Nick Brook

Editor's Picks

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DunedinSeptember 18

‘Utterly terrified’: Prison officer cut with shank in OCF attack

An Otago prison guard bravely fought off a shank attack by an inmate who had just scalded two other officers with hot tea.

Felicity Dear

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Class ActSeptember 21

Class Act 2026: All the recipients

Paul McIntyre

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DunedinSeptember 11

Dunedin hospo boss escapes conviction for street brawl with teen

Rob Kidd

Canterbury

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Double dose of Rockquest success for Christchurch school

Burnside High School has flown the flag for Christchurch at the Rockquest national finals with a second-place finish in the solo/duo competition.

Sam Coughlan

ChristchurchSeptember 24

New York acting school graduate returns home with one-woman show

Emma Cushing made it from Christchurch to Broadway, and now returns to her hometown with her first production — the one-woman show My Name is Moo.

Raphael Franks

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Deadly Nepal landslide has lessons for Southern Alps

The catastrophic Nepal landslide has lessons for the Southern Alps, says a Canterbury University expert who has co-authored a major new study.

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Final 15,000 Electric Avenue tickets sell out in minutes

The final allocation of tickets to the Electric Avenue festival in Christchurch in February have sold out within minutes.

Southland

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SouthlandSeptember 24

‘We can’t afford not to have a plan’

Southland is sitting on the cusp of multi-billion dollar industrial developments, but energy leaders warn electricity generation and transmission infrastructure must keep pace if the region is the capture the opportunity.

Toni McDonald

SouthlandSeptember 24

Public shut out of port discussions at Southland council

Environment Southland is staying silent on the outcome of two private meetings held over the last week to discuss South Port.

Matthew Rosenberg

National

NationalSeptember 24

Labour's lead on top issues narrows as National gains - survey

Labour is still considered most capable of managing the country's top five concerns, but it's taken a slide on all of them, narrowing the gap between it and National.

NationalSeptember 24

Māori words in curriculum shouldn't be controversial, principals say

Principals and a Māori language advocate are angry and disappointed by the Education Ministry's treatment of te reo Māori and the secrecy that has surrounded it.

NationalSeptember 24

Government hits pause on council amalgamation plan until after election

The Government has told mayors around the country it's deferring decisions on amalgamating councils until after the election.

NationalSeptember 24

Report highlights ‘serious’ problems in curriculum division

A damning review has found serious problems including allegations of favouritism and lack of public sector values in the Education Ministry's curriculum division.

Sport

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FootballSeptember 24

University footballers ready for big adventure

Let the adventure begin.

Hayden Meikle

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BasketballSeptember 24

WNBA arrivals coup for Tauihi league

The Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa League gets under way when defending champions the Whai host the Northern Kāhu on Friday. Kayla Hodge takes a look at the teams.

Kayla Hodge

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Veteran ready for his biggest test in National League opener

Christchurch footballer ​Chris Murphy has played 481 matches for Ferrymead Bays, but possibly none will be bigger than Saturday’s National League opener at home to Eastern Suburbs.

Sam Coughlan

FootballSeptember 24

New-look All Whites held to 2-2 draw by Palestine

Coach Darren Bazeley is demanding more clinical finishing from the All Whites after a new-look side twice relinquished the lead in a 2-2 draw against Palestine in China.

Lifestyle

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Home & GardenSeptember 24

Upper Junction hilltop garden former site of school

A property once home to the Upper Junction School, will be opening its gates as part of the West Harbour Garden Trail and Flower Show on October 3.

Louise Frampton

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Home & GardenSeptember 24

Bee aware — it’s honey foraging time

September is Bee Aware Month — a great time to think about how we can support these important pollinators in the garden.

Kat Lord, Dunedin Botanic Garden ranger

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EntertainmentSeptember 23

Creating together on the spot with joy and spontaneity

Standing on stage, with an audience in front of you and no rehearsed lines, having to react on the spot to a colleague’s comments, is an adrenalin rush for some.

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EntertainmentSeptember 23

Art Seen: September 24

Three Dunedin exhibitions reviewed by arts reviewer James Dignan.

James Dignan

Business

BusinessSeptember 24

Government backs gas exploration project off Southland coast

The government is putting $40.5 million towards two gas exploration projects, from the government's $200m gas exploration fund.

BusinessSeptember 24

Stuff regional jobs could be cut

Media organisation Stuff Group says it plans to "streamline" its regional news operations.

BusinessSeptember 24

NZ First pledge to slash tax rate for small businesses

The party says the drop from 28% to 20% is a "much-needed bold step" to encourage more investment, expansion, productivity and employment.

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BusinessSeptember 23

International investors eye rare parcel of Cromwell land valued at nearly $37m

Cromwell could be poised for a nearly 500-lot residential development after a prominent Otago family put vacant land valued at $36.7 million on the market.

Tim Scott

Fresh

Food & WineSeptember 8

Turning to lighter fare as we go into spring

While winter still has its grips on us, occasional warm days are reminding us that spring is coming.

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Enjoying the day’s catch with family

Alison Lambert

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Lighter, brighter note for spring

Jo Elwin

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Hearty tart for weekend adventures

Sam Sinclair

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Making healthy eating easy

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Gifts of love: Homemade treats perfect for sharing

A passion project that has taken three years to come to fruition is how Allyson Gofton describes “Give”.

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Life is too short to wait for a special occasion

Mark Henderson

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Grilled asparagus and halloumi salad

Rural Life

DairySeptember 23

Fonterra reports $3.4 billion operating profit following sale of Mainland brands

Dairy co-operative Fonterra has delivered a strong full-year operating profit of $3.4 billion, thanks in part to $1.2b from the sale of its Mainland brands.

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Rural Life OtherSeptember 23

El Nino to amplify highs and lows of spring weather in the South

El Nino will amplify the natural rollercoaster of weather southern farmers get in spring, a meteorologist warns.

Shawn McAvinue

Rural EventsSeptember 23

Wool prices lift at auction as bidders battle for limited supply

Wet weather was a factor driving demand for wool, PGG Wrightson national auction manager Dave Burridge says.

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Red MeatSeptember 23

Southern professional director to speak about ongoing battle against barriers hindering ease of trade

Southern professional director Sarah Ottrey is fighting to stop non-tariff barriers and measures hindering trade.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineSeptember 22

Shipshape chef of the fiords

Mary Williams

Food & WineSeptember 22

Josh Niland’s ‘scale to tail’ approach award winning

Food & WineSeptember 22

Is pasta a type of noodle?

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Food & WineSeptember 22

It takes two to tango

Wine Times: Mark Henderson

World

WorldSeptember 24

Dozens walk out as Netanyahu addresses UN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mounted a forceful defense of Israel's actions in the region at the UN as dozens of delegates streamed out.

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WorldSeptember 24

Canada flexing not buckling in face of US bullying, Patman says

The United States is paying a price for its president bullying Canada, Prof Robert Patman says.

Bruce Munro

WorldSeptember 24

Warning AI could harm children more than social media

Major AI companies are rolling out features to children without establishing sufficient guardrails, the founder of the trust and safety team at Google says.

WorldSeptember 24

Israeli bulldozers crush Palestinian olive trees ahead of harvest

Palestinian villagers wailed over the mangled remains of their olive trees after Israel's military uprooted them with bulldozers, ahead of the annual olive harvest, normally a source of joy for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

West Coast

West CoastSeptember 24

Fast-track application to mine Denniston Plateau rejected

A fast-track application to mine Denniston Plateau on the West Coast has been rejected as incomplete.

Kate Newton of RNZ

ChristchurchSeptember 23

Heart attack victim spends 500 nights in Christchurch for treatment

Lying in his Christchurch hospital bed, Greg Carter wasn't just worried about his failing health. He was also thinking about where he was going to live while receiving treatment hundreds of kilometres from home.

Video

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DunedinSeptember 24

Departing DCC chief executive ‘smart’, ‘straight talking’

Described as smart, frank and “sunshine”, Sandy Graham has been formally farewelled as the Dunedin City Council’s chief executive — and a bit more besides.

Grant Miller

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WorldSeptember 24

Canada flexing not buckling in face of US bullying, Patman says

The United States is paying a price for its president bullying Canada, Prof Robert Patman says.

Bruce Munro

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DunedinSeptember 24

Urinal cakes spark third gas leak scare in Dunedin city centre

For the third time in four days, Dunedin firefighters have been called to a suspected gas leak in Princes St.

John Lewis

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EntertainmentSeptember 23

Musical dedication creates ‘unique’ bond for German musicians

Music is the linchpin of Tanja Tetzlaff and Florian Donderer lives.

Opinion

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OpinionSeptember 24

Failing to find any heroism in Macklemore’s machinations

What the hell was Ed Sheeran thinking in having Macklemore as his opening act?

Chris Trotter

OpinionSeptember 24

When presidents ban journalists from the White House, the First Amendment is not the only constitutional right at stake

The US president is going after the press again.

OpinionSeptember 24

What fresh fortunes will the changing tide bring in for us?

I guess we are all wondering what the composition of the new government will look like.

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OpinionSeptember 24

Cartoonist’s view: September 25

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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OpinionSeptember 23

If uttering last words, make them good ones

An old man lay sick in bed. His doctor warned him not to get up or he might die.

Joe Bennett

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OpinionSeptember 23

Carney enjoying the poetry, awaits the prose

Forty years ago former New York Governor Mario Cuomo said: ``You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.”

Gwynne Dyer

100 Years Ago

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NewsSeptember 24

Expo facility moved to garden

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 23

Hospital’s vital statistics

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 22

Dodge at the door

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 21

Opening a fine edifice

100 years ago