Otago Daily Times Online News

Aim to ensure wife’s life ‘was not a waste’

A Dunedin widower making sure his wife’s life "was not a waste" has started a petition to Parliament to open Dunedin Hospital’s catheterisation laboratory around the clock.

Admissions stopped over sudden Gore Covid case influx

Admissions stopped over sudden Gore Covid case influx

"This is not what we ordered from Santa this year."
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Five new Otago marine reserves greenlit

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Five new Otago marine reserves greenlit

Conservationists are celebrating five new coastal Otago marine reserves being given the green light — a milestone they say has been three decades in the making.
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First sea lion pup of breeding season born

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First sea lion pup of breeding season born

Just two weeks after scaring the living daylights out of a Bedford St family by taking shelter on their front doorstep, Tui the sea lion has given birth to Dunedin’s first pup of the season.

ODT quiz: December 30
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Festival-goers hit Wānaka for 15th Rhythm & Alps
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Best weather set for South, rain to dampen festivities
Magic moments: December 30

dunedin

Scaffolder Max McKenzie hams up a variation of air guitar after assembling the stage in the...

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City to funk it up for New Year’s Eve

A high-energy party has been forecast for New Year’s Eve in Dunedin and organisers are hopeful the weather will co-operate.

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Teenagers tried to carjack taxi: officer

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Teenagers tried to carjack taxi: officer

Two teenagers who allegedly punched and hit a Port Chalmers taxi driver with a glass bottle on Christmas Day were trying to bring open alcohol into the vehicle, police say.
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Aim to slow deterioration as we age

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Aim to slow deterioration as we age

Most of us have heard of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study and the Christchurch Health and Development Study. Reporter John Lewis takes a closer look at a...
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Proof arguing can be productive

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Proof arguing can be productive

Campbell Kidd and Abby Bowmar love to argue.

regions

Austrian tourists Luca Fankhauser (left) and Susanne Hintner enjoy a sunny moment alongside their...

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Freedom camping problems 'far less frequent'

Freedom camping behaviour in tourist hotspot the Catlins appears to be improving, thanks to a fresh approach from officials.

Up and coming tennis stars try to ace veterans

Up and coming tennis stars try to ace veterans

Queenstown’s Kai Milburn is on his toes during his three-set loss to Oliver Statham in the Te Anau Tennis Invitational yesterday.
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Five new Otago marine reserves greenlit

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Five new Otago marine reserves greenlit

Conservationists are celebrating five new coastal Otago marine reserves being given the green light — a milestone they say has been three decades in the making.
Golf centre partially reopens

Golf centre partially reopens

Frankton Golf Centre is back operating close to normal after a fire on December 13 closed the driving range, club house and pro shop.

National

The roof of an unoccupied home in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough came off in high winds and...

North Island battered, more wild weather on way

Wild weather battered much of the North Island on Monday, disrupting campers, and there are more stormy conditions on the way.

Hoping for a return to ‘holistic solutions’

Hoping for a return to ‘holistic solutions’

2026 is election year and parties are already jockeying for position. In a five-part series ODT political editor Mike Houlahan asks a senior MP from the leading parties about how the...
Holiday road toll stands at zero

Holiday road toll stands at zero

The road toll for the official Christmas holiday period is at zero, but police say people need to continue to stick to the basics of safe driving.
Govt urged to commit resources to tackling organised crime

Govt urged to commit resources to tackling organised crime

The chairperson of a ministerial advisory group on organised crime says he won't be satisfied until he sees the government commit resources to tackling the issue of organised crime.

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'Think of the chaos if the mine comes'
Worked over

sport

Central Otago paddler Nick Collier prepares to tackle a tricky stretch at a wildwater event in...

Collier ends fine year with medal

Nick Collier has ended an impressive year in the world of canoe slalom with another international medal.

Pijnenburg keen for playing time with Nix

Pijnenburg keen for playing time with Nix

The Wellington Phoenix have brought one of New Zealand’s top young female footballers back home.
Bracewell privileged to have played at top level

Bracewell privileged to have played at top level

Former Black Caps all-rounder Doug Bracewell has announced his retirement from all cricket.
Robinson crashes out in latest World Cup event

Robinson crashes out in latest World Cup event

Queenstown skier Alice Robinson crashed out of contention and gave up her overall lead in the giant slalom at the latest World Cup event in Austria.

Business

Succession planning can be tricky but starting the conversation vital

I bet this is the unspoken script around many family barbecues this summer:

Gull, NPD merger should bring fuel prices down - AA

Gull, NPD merger should bring fuel prices down - AA

The Automobile Association believes a proposed merger between two fuel companies should drive down pump prices.
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Fewer ships, drop-off sites affect trade

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Fewer ships, drop-off sites affect trade

Dunedin retailers say they have their fingers crossed for a busy cruise ship week ahead following a season that has been "pretty average" so far.
Tourism business ‘extremely distressed’ by road closures

Tourism business ‘extremely distressed’ by road closures

A Marlborough Sounds tourism operator is “extremely distressed” by restricted access road closures, leaving them cut off from customers at the start of the peak summer season.

Rural Life

Barrelling onwards to first

Felicity Montgomery rounds the final barrel on her way to winning the Junior Barrel Racing at the Omarama Rodeo yesterday.

Govt and shearing industry announce $75k animal welfare scheme

Govt and shearing industry announce $75k animal welfare scheme

The government and the shearing industry have announced a $75,000 programme to improve animal welfare in the industry.
Canterbury council 'put on notice' over discharges

Canterbury council 'put on notice' over discharges

A court has ruled Canterbury's regional council erred when it allowed farms to discharge nitrates and other pollution without consents, but stopped short of ordering it to change the rule.
Consent process leaves family anxious

Consent process leaves family anxious

An Omarama farming family fears it could lose hundreds of hectares of land, critical to its farming operation, while the consenting for river protection work is processed.

Life & style

Williams on her way to winning the 1952 Olympic long jump gold medal. PHOTOS: ODT FILES

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Giant leap forward with glowing fanfare

In a six-part series, Mike Houlahan looks back at how the Otago Daily Times covered burning issues of yesteryear. Today he looks at how the newspaper saluted the first New Zealand woman to win an...

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A quiet place for forgiveness

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A quiet place for forgiveness

The Catholic confessional ritual has a few intricacies that are not all that obvious. Mark John spoke to the Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Michael Dooley to learn...
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Moulding hobby into dream job

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Moulding hobby into dream job

No two weeks look the same to Shelley Brigit, a diversity the Dunedin artist enjoys. She talks to Ruby Shaw about the passion project which became a fulltime job. Shelley Brigit’s...
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Taxidermy jungle spot to ‘unwind’

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Taxidermy jungle spot to ‘unwind’

Mike Rodgers can’t stop finding additions for his jungle taxidermy, Ella Scott-Fleming reports.

LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT

Brigitte Bardot dies at 91
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Outside the box

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Still got it, after all these years...
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Under fire in an old chicken coop

World

Warnings as cyclone bears down on parts of WA

Residents in Western Australia's far north are being told to leave if they're not prepared as Tropical Cyclone Hayley approaches land.

Boxer Anthony Joshua involved in crash that killed two

Boxer Anthony Joshua involved in crash that killed two

British former world heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua was involved in a car accident that killed two people in Nigeria.
Bondi hero recounts confronting gunman

'I feel sorry for the lost': Bondi hero recounts confronting gunman

A tobacconist who went viral for his extraordinary bravery wrestling one of the Bondi beach gunmen has spoken out for the first time about his instinctive actions.
China launches live-fire war games surrounding Taiwan

China launches live-fire war games surrounding Taiwan

China's military has moved army, naval, air force and artillery units around Taiwan for its "Justice Mission 2025" drills, as the island vows to defend democracy and mobilise troops to rehearse repelling a potential Chinese attack.