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

SouthlandSeptember 25

Teens jointly charged with murder over Otautau child’s death

Two 19-year-olds have been jointly charged with murder over the death of a child found critically injured at an Otautau property.

Tayler Mutton

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Central OtagoSeptember 24

Santana makes $10 million offer to protect lizards

An Australian mining company is offering to spend $10 million on lizard protection if it helps them get the Bendigo-Ophir gold mine project over the line.

Matthew Littlewood

DunedinSeptember 25

‘Dearly loved’: Tributes for Taieri woman killed in train crash

Police have named the woman who died in a crash at a railway crossing in Invercargill last week.

NationalSeptember 24

Man used $20 million Lotto ticket as bookmark for almost two months

A man has discovered the Lotto ticket he had been using as a bookmark for almost two months is worth $20.1 million.

DunedinSeptember 24

Watch: Class Act 2026 celebrates excellence

ChristchurchSeptember 25

Hammer used to smash up liquor shop

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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

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

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

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

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

Latest News

1

NationalSeptember 25

WOW show cancelled after crew member dies

2

WānakaSeptember 25

Makarora highway open to continuous traffic at weekend

3

NationalSeptember 25

Plan to hire 380 more health staff, ‘mostly nurses’

4

NationalSeptember 25

Ombudsman to investigate claims education officials tried to get around OIA

5

NationalSeptember 25

Election 2026 interview: Christopher Luxon

Otago

WānakaSeptember 25

Makarora highway open to continuous traffic at weekend

Restrictions to SH6 between Makarora and Hāwea are easing after weather-related damage and the road will open to continuous traffic at the weekend.

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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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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Central OtagoSeptember 24

Blooming lovely ladies

Being 69 years old is no reason to slow down if the Alexandra Blossom Festival is anything to go by.

Julie Asher

Editor's Picks

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DunedinSeptember 22

‘He’s left a whole lot of love behind’: Dunedin man’s company in liquidation months after death

The widow of a Dunedin man whose death was a “shock to everyone” says the collapse of his company months later has made his passing even harder.

Tim Scott

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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

SelwynSeptember 25

Canterbury councillor stays tight-lipped about reasons for mana whenua non-vote

Selwyn district councillor Elizabeth Mundt says her New Zealand First election candidacy did not influence her decision not to vote on appointing the council’s mana whenua representative.

Daniel Alvey

ChristchurchSeptember 25

Final wave for longboard surfing competition

A popular Christchurch surfing event will be scaled back to its roots next month for what is set to be the competition’s sixth and final edition.

Kees Chalmers

SelwynSeptember 25

Tyre fire started from burn-off

A tyre fire in the Selwyn district which billowed thick black smoke that could be seen from as far away as Christchurch on Thursday is believed to have started from an “escaped burn-off”.

ChristchurchSeptember 24

Christchurch NRL bid facing strong competition from Queensland city

The bid to add a Christchurch-based club to the NRL is facing strong competition from the Queensland city of Ipswich which has announced it is again seeking a licence to play in the league.

Southland

SouthlandSeptember 24

'Bit of a betrayal': Southland mayors bemoan amalgamation delay

'Bit of a betrayal': Southland mayors bemoan amalgamation delay

Matthew Rosenberg

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 25

Election 2026 interview: Christopher Luxon

This week's guest on Election 2026 is Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon.

Mike Houlahan

NationalSeptember 24

How much you may need to retire, and why many are falling short

Most New Zealanders are not on track to have saved anything like enough money to achieve the things they want to in their retirement, Westpac says.

NationalSeptember 25

WOW show cancelled after crew member dies

The World of Wearable Arts has cancelled Friday night's show after the death of a crew member.

NationalSeptember 25

Plan to hire 380 more health staff, ‘mostly nurses’

Chief nurse Nadine Gray says staff would be put in districts where they were most needed after a difficult winter.

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

NationalSeptember 25

Election 2026 interview: Christopher Luxon

This week's guest on Election 2026 is Prime Minister and National Party leader Christopher Luxon.

Mike Houlahan

DunedinSeptember 24

Watch: Class Act 2026 celebrates excellence

Class Act is our annual celebration of the excellence of young people in our community.

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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

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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EditorialSeptember 24

A hard road ahead for all

The troublesome issue of mental health provision in the South developed another wrinkle this week with the announcement that Health New Zealand intends to close ward 10a at Wakari Hospital.

Editorial

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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

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