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

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Fall of a beauty queen: Pageant runner-up involved in ugly Octagon assault, luxury hotel rip-off

A former pageant queen racked up a $2700 bill at a five-star Queenstown hotel then scarpered without paying, a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Shock at ‘silent sell down’ of Dunedin state housing

The government’s divestment’s of state houses has gone under the radar to such an extent it amounts to a “silent sell down” of the social housing network, a Labour MP says.

Matthew Littlewood

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandOctober 28

‘People should be outraged’: $23m spent to send Southland patients to private care

More than $23 million was spent sending Southern patients to private hospitals in the past year despite Southland Hospital recording hundreds of unused operating theatre sessions because of surgical staff shortages.

Toni McDonald

SUBSCRIBER

BusinessOctober 28

Dunedin restaurant struggling to meet ‘low bar’ for alcohol rules, owner told

The owner of a Japanese restaurant in the heart of Dunedin has been told he is struggling to meet what is already a “low bar” for alcohol rules.

Tim Scott

SUBSCRIBER

RugbyOctober 28

The Chat: New Highlanders first five excited for move south

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Caversham Tunnel works for shared path could be brought forward

Grant Miller

SUBSCRIBER

WānakaOctober 28

Seymour lashes out at mine opponents during Santana meeting

Evie Sinclair

ODT QuizOctober 28

ODT quiz: October 29

Dunedin

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Decision on third conduct complaint against Ong looms

The latest chapter in the Benedict Ong saga will be thrashed out behind closed doors by the Dunedin City Council.

Ruby Shaw

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Rumours abound of exceptional catches as whitebait season draws to close

As the whitebait season draws to a close rumours abound about exceptional catches but separating fact from fiction is like trying to catch the precious delicacy with a teaspoon.

Stephen Jaquiery

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Three shillings and a strict schedule: Columba College old girls reunite 60 years on

From Sunday church marches, eight-to-a-room bunk beds, and three-shilling weekly allowances — shared memories brought 21 former Dunedin students back to their old stamping ground.

Laine Priestley

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

A ‘rollercoaster’ first year as Dunedin’s mayor

Rollercoaster is the first word that comes to mind for Sophie Barker when she considers her first year as Dunedin mayor.

Grant Miller

Latest News

1

ChristchurchOctober 28

Man pleads guilty to double murder six years after killing his wife on their honeymoon

2

BusinessOctober 28

Creative solutions sought to pay for climate-driven managed retreat

3

NationalOctober 28

Pastor’s husband says church had ‘multiple’ chances to assess deadly door

4

NationalOctober 28

Peptides spike prompts needle exchange kits

5

ChristchurchOctober 28

‘Simply not acceptable’: Motel owner sentenced for exploiting migrant workers

Otago

SUBSCRIBER

North OtagoOctober 28

Firefighter takes on endurance race a year on from near-death experience

A Waitaki firefighter who cheated death last year after a freak accident was the first New Zealander to compete in an extreme firefighting competition held in Italy last month.

Jules Chin

SUBSCRIBER

Central OtagoOctober 28

Community vents frustration at slow progress on flood protection

Nearly 10 years after flooding devastated Roxburgh, locals have lost in faith in council efforts to prevent a repeat of the natural disaster, the community board chairman says.

Julie Asher

SUBSCRIBER

South OtagoOctober 28

Council takes a punt on enticing visitors to stay longer

An historic South Otago punt is getting its very own passport this summer, encouraging tourists to experience some of the region’s further flung corners.

Richard Davison

SUBSCRIBER

Central OtagoOctober 28

‘Be a good neighbour’: Lauder letter appeals for QLDC to halt dumping human waste

Central Otago’s elected representatives have appealed to Queenstown Lakes District Council to look beyond the “cheapest lawful option” and pause the dumping of human waste in Lauder.

Ruairi O'Shea

Editor's Picks

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 24

‘Disturbing’: Rise in Otago sextortion cases, with victims as young as 9-years-old

Children as young as 9-years-old were among 50 victims of sextortion across Otago last year, and are also amid a national rise in cases impacting one in five New Zealanders.

John Lewis, Jules Chin

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 20

Award-winning ex-University of Otago employee charged with 37 counts of fraud

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

BusinessOctober 19

Southland agricultural business goes bust owing $10m after death of co-owner

Sally Rae

Canterbury

ChristchurchOctober 28

Man pleads guilty to double murder six years after killing his wife on their honeymoon

A Christchurch man who killed his wife six years ago has pleaded guilty to murdering two men, one of whom was a former Devils Henchmen gang president, during an incident on October 10.

ChristchurchOctober 28

Fans get to name the Crusaders' new squad

The Crusaders gave 38 of their biggest fans a chance to take the stage inside One NZ Stadium to reveal their new squad for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season.

ChristchurchOctober 28

‘Simply not acceptable’: Motel owner sentenced for exploiting migrant workers

A former Christchurch motel owner who made his employees work up to 98 hours a week while paying them for just 40 has been sentenced for migrant exploitation.

ChristchurchOctober 28

Misting fan could be used to bring down temperature inside Christchurch stadium

Additional air-cooling measures at One New Zealand Stadium went unused during the long weekend due to player safety, venue operators say.

Election 2026

NationalOctober 28

National dips below disastrous 2020 result, Opportunity surges

Labour remains the most popular party on 30.6%, while potential kingmaker Opportunity recorded the biggest gain, up 1.7 points to 7.2%.

ISSUE ANALYSIS

NationalOctober 28

Can we build it? Yes we can — maybe

In an election campaign full of rancour and disagreement, infrastructure is an oasis of collegiality and consensus.Well, almost.

SUBSCRIBER

NationalOctober 28

Unlocking the many housing policies

ODT reporter Matthew Littlewood turns the key on the major political parties’ housing policies.

Matthew Littlewood

NationalOctober 27

Brown calls for Labour coalition costs, but won’t explain National’s

Simeon Brown says the situation for a Labour-led coalition is "completely different" compared to a National-led one.

Southland

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandOctober 28

Rare plane heading back to where it first took off

Life is coming full-circle for the rarest of planes, which will shortly be lost to New Zealand.

Steve Hepburn

SouthlandOctober 28

‘Significant’ rural hurdles in addressing ovarian cancer

Gemma Sinclair

SouthlandOctober 28

‘Unsung heroes’ of the sea surface in Gore

National

NationalOctober 28

Pastor’s husband says church had ‘multiple’ chances to assess deadly door

The husband of an Auckland youth pastor killed by a roller door at her church, believes there were multiple chances over the years to recognise the risk the door posed.

NationalOctober 28

Peptides spike prompts needle exchange kits

Health NZ is providing pharmacies with injecting kits as part of its needle exchange programme for people using peptides without a prescription.

NationalOctober 28

Mayor’s election plea: support Auckland or 'sod off'

"Keep out of it" and "sod off" are Wayne Brown's messages to central government politicians at this election.

NationalOctober 28

$40m of cocaine found alongside guns in Auckland shipping container

More than 130kg of cocaine, two pistols and ammunition have been found inside a shipping container in Auckland.

Sport

SUBSCRIBER

CricketOctober 28

Lees still going into bat for Otago

The Otago Cricket Association is 150 years old. Warren Lees has clocked in for 63 of those years.

Adrian Seconi

SUBSCRIBER

RugbyOctober 28

Joseph excited at what 2027 might bring for Highlanders

Jamie Joseph hopes an investment in youth and intense internal competition for starting jerseys will drive the Highlanders to success in 2027.

Hayden Meikle

SUBSCRIBER

RugbyOctober 28

Otago midfielder to join the Crusaders

Top-level Otago rugby player joins the Crusaders.

Hayden Meikle

SUBSCRIBER

CricketOctober 28

Otago coach more relaxed in second season

Otago coach Josh Tasman-Jones is a lot more relaxed this time around.

Adrian Seconi

Lifestyle

SUBSCRIBER

EntertainmentOctober 28

Play a deep dive into the realities of political life and the compromises it calls for

Dunedin actor and director Lara Macgregor will take to the stage as former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard this month. Rebecca Fox talks to the woman behind the play  Julia, Joanna Murray-Smith.

Rebecca Fox

SUBSCRIBER

EntertainmentOctober 28

Writer inspired by lovely people with ‘little episodes of darkness’ in South Island

Sri Lankan writer and Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka will speak at the upcoming Queenstown Writers Festival. He tells Rebecca Fox about finishing his latest book.

Rebecca Fox

SUBSCRIBER

EntertainmentOctober 28

Art Seen

James Dignan reviews three of Dunedin's newest art exhibitions.

James Dignan

HERITAGE IN FOCUS

The MixOctober 28

A quick tour of the 1881 Dunedin Industrial Exhibition — Garrison Hall

When in 1881 Dunedin decided to put the best of industry on show, enthusiasm for the exhibition threatened to overwhelm the venue, Jonathan Howard writes.

Jonathan Howard

Business

SUBSCRIBER

BusinessOctober 28

First time ‘on this side of the hill’: Auto Court leaves South Dunedin after 60 years

A family-owned car dealership that has moved over the hill after more than 60 years in South Dunedin is here to stay — even if it means a bit more running around.

Tim Scott

BusinessOctober 28

Creative solutions sought to pay for climate-driven managed retreat

As climate change puts NZ under ever-increasing risks of extreme weather, adding to existing quake risks, questions are growing about the availability and affordability of insurance.

BusinessOctober 28

Stuff urged to shelve cuts to regional journalism

Mayors and local leaders have urged publisher Stuff to reconsider proposed cuts in regional newsrooms in response to rising costs.

BusinessOctober 28

Reserve Bank holds OCR at 2.75% in surprise move

The Reserve Bank has held the Official Cash Rate at 2.75% in a split vote.

Rural Life

SUBSCRIBER

DairyOctober 28

Eastern Southland dairy farmers collect supreme award as they seek to progress

Eastern Southland contract milker Jippy Singh is using his recent award success as fuel to take the next step in his dairy industry career.

Shawn McAvinue

SUBSCRIBER

HorticultureOctober 28

Orchard workers arrive to good-looking fruit crops set up by favourable spring conditions in Central Otago

The season has been favourable so far but it may face a blight of rising freight costs, tighter retail margins and a staff accommodation shortage, Central Otago fruit growers say.

Shawn McAvinue

SUBSCRIBER

Red MeatOctober 28

Sodden paddocks spike sheep nut sales in the South

A soggy start to spring sparked a record-breaking sheep nut sale spike in the South, a Gore stock feed manufacturer says.

Shawn McAvinue

SUBSCRIBER

Rural PeopleOctober 28

New project to capture oral history of Maniototo shearing in the 1980s

An oral history project highlighting the heyday of shearing in the Maniototo in the 1980s aims to keep the voices and experiences from the era alive.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

Food & WineOctober 27

Healthier and more equitable food system needed from political parties

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Cheddar, potato and caramelised onion focaccia

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Grilled asparagus, melted curds and frozen lemon

In Season — Alison Lambert

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Harvesting hops at night to enhance the flavour

Beer — Ric Oram

World

WorldOctober 28

Dozens dead in another horror train crash in Spain

Renfe says after being authorised to continue its journey, its train had crashed into another train that had remained stationary "for reasons we don't know".

Reuters

WorldOctober 28

US costs of Iran war pass $47 billion

The US military has spent more than $US47 billion so far to prosecute the war in Iran, more than 25% higher than the Defense Department's estimate in July.

WorldOctober 28

Aussie casino given monster fine for money-laundering breaches

Australia's biggest listed casino company is on the brink of administration after being fined $260 million for historical money-laundering violations.

AAP

WorldOctober 27

Israeli exit polls show election deadlock

Israel's election appears deadlocked, with neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor rival Gadi Eisenkot showing a clear path to power, exit polls show.

Reuters

West Coast

West CoastOctober 28

Truck breakdown closes Haast Pass

A truck has broken down across both lanes of the Haast Pass, causing the road to be closed.

West CoastOctober 20

Teen has nightmares after three injured in 12m fall from Ferris wheel

A teenager has had nightmares since watching her friend fall 12m from a Ferris wheel at a West Coast agricultural show after a seat broke.

Video

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Rumours abound of exceptional catches as whitebait season draws to close

As the whitebait season draws to a close rumours abound about exceptional catches but separating fact from fiction is like trying to catch the precious delicacy with a teaspoon.

Stephen Jaquiery

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Caversham Tunnel works for shared path could be brought forward

Development of the long-awaited Dunedin Tunnels Trail could be sped up if $1 million of work is brought forward.

Grant Miller

DunedinOctober 28

‘Seriously dangerous’: Warning copycat Tunnel Beach jumps will end in tragedy

If people keep jumping off a cliff at Tunnel Beach then sooner or later it will end in tragedy, says a local surf lifesaver.

Steve Hepburn

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 27

Burning tractors inspire award-winning YES product

Sometimes, flashes of inspiration come from the darnedest of places — in this case, it was burning tractors.

John Lewis

Opinion

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionOctober 28

The lust for speed, free movement, and danger

Diego Poncelet was born in Mexico, speaks Spanish, French and English fluently, and holds the world speed record for skateboarding.

Joe Bennett

OpinionOctober 28

How best to spend hospital bucks

I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.

OpinionOctober 28

The importance of community heroes

Queenstown is known around the world for its breathtaking scenery, adventure and lifestyle.

Hamish Walker

SUBSCRIBER

EditorialOctober 28

Privacy breach confusion

Confusion about what has been caught up in the August Zenith Technology (ZenTech) cyber security breach has intensified this week

Editorial

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionOctober 28

Cartoonist’s view: October 29

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionOctober 27

A grand coalition? Now there's a thought.

Last week I attended the Stuff Leaders Debate hoping to hear something that might help me decide where my vote should go at the next election.

Ian Taylor

100 Years Ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 28

More land for Port Chalmers

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 27

Games at the Brook

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 26

Otago four wins Australian national

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 25

A multitude of picnickers

100 years ago