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North OtagoSeptember 16

Otago school admits giving award to student accused of ‘sextortion’ was mistake

An Otago school has admitted mishandling an allegation of “sextortion” by giving the accused student an award the day it brought in police to address the issue.

Jules Chin

OtagoSeptember 16

Cold snap brings rain and snow for South

A cold snap has brought snow to widespread areas of the South, with rain also affecting roads. SH87 between Middlemarch and Outram has reopened.

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DunedinSeptember 16

Dunedin’s Sheeran mural defaced amid backlash

Dunedin’s controversial Ed Sheeran mural has been defaced as the singer faces backlash after Pro-Palestinian comments resulted in a rapper being dropped from his tour.

Tim Scott

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QueenstownSeptember 16

Landmark Glenorchy Hotel goes on the market

Glenorchy's longest-established landmark property, harbouring multiple income streams, is on the market for the first time in almost 19 years.

Philip Chandler

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DunedinSeptember 16

‘The toilet is always the question’: a day in the life of a Dunedin hospital crane operator

Tim Scott

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DunedinSeptember 16

Foodstuffs restructure would hurt local ownership: Dunedin supermarket owner

Tim Scott

SouthlandSeptember 16

Man swallows bag of meth after scuffle with police

Tayler Mutton

ODT QuizSeptember 16

ODT quiz: September 17

Dunedin

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DunedinSeptember 16

Lindsay Creek flood protection back on the agenda

The Otago Regional Council is again looking at flood protection for North East Valley, set to cost many millions, saying the area is at a higher risk than what is considered tolerable.

Steve Hepburn

DunedinSeptember 16

No bone left unturned: lifelong Dunedin blood donor rallies next generation to join the cause

When Martin Jones was born he immediately needed a full-body blood transfusion. Almost 65 years later, and after more than 100 blood donations of his own, he took his donating schedule a step further and donated his hip bone.

Laine Priestley

DunedinSeptember 16

New sterilisation centre finally arrives to address past problems

The long-awaited sterilisation centre for Dunedin Hospital is finally ready for operation.

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinSeptember 16

Plaque unveiled for iconic brewery

Good on ya, mate.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

ChristchurchSeptember 16

Former New World worker ordered to repay $20k settlement

2

Mid CanterburySeptember 16

SH1 road works causing major delays for motorists

3

West CoastSeptember 16

Continuing SH6 closure ‘costly’ for West Coast tourism

4

BusinessSeptember 16

'Commonsense changes' for hospitality drop-off services

5

NationalSeptember 16

MMP referendum: Costing unclear and could Māori seats be cut?

Otago

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North OtagoSeptember 16

Waitaki District Council making ‘healthy profit’ of $20,000 a month from parking meters

Waitaki District Council is raking in around $20,000 a month from its parking meters.

Charley-Kai John

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Central OtagoSeptember 16

First glimpse at concept plans for new entertainment centre

Concept plans for the new Roxburgh Entertainment Centre are on show in the town today.

Julie Asher

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South OtagoSeptember 16

‘Only time will tell’: Petitioning pensioners unconvinced their pharmacy opposition heard

Balclutha residents protesting a potential new pharmacy in the town’s hospital say they still believe the project will go ahead, despite collecting more than 900 signatures in opposition.

Richard Davison

Central OtagoSeptember 16

Locals urged to secure early-bird Blossom Festival tickets

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Blossom Festival, with organisers urging residents to lock in their spot before they sell out.

Carys Trotter

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DunedinSeptember 15

Calls for council action over Dunedin cats

The Dunedin City Council is not doing enough to control cats in New Zealand’s wildlife capital, advocates say.

Grant Miller

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DunedinSeptember 14

‘Humiliation and stress’: Failed builder and Dunedin City Council taken to court over faulty $900k home

Tim Scott

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DunedinSeptember 11

Dunedin hospo boss escapes conviction for street brawl with teen

Rob Kidd

Canterbury

ChristchurchSeptember 16

Former New World worker ordered to repay $20k settlement

A Christchurch supermarket worker who fell out with his bosses and won a $20,000 settlement has lost more than twice that payout after breaching a confidentiality agreement.

Mid CanterburySeptember 16

Ratepayers covering cost of green bin service despite rollout delay

Ashburton ratepayers are set to pay for a green bin service for six months before it starts after the rollout was delayed by a global plastic shortage.

Mid CanterburySeptember 16

SH1 road works causing major delays for motorists

The State Highway 1 road works near Tinwald in Canterbury, which have been causing up to 45-minute delays for motorists, are due to be completed next Thursday.

ChristchurchSeptember 16

Electric Avenue website crashes after line-up announced

A rush following Thursday’s line-up announcement caused the Electric Avenue festival website to crash.

National

NationalSeptember 16

MMP referendum: Costing unclear and could Māori seats be cut?

The govt does not know how much an MMP referendum might cost, and National's leader is refusing to rule out a question on abolishing Māori seats.

NationalSeptember 16

‘I'm genuinely sorry’: PM apologises in wake of Tom Phillips report

The Prime Minister has apologised to both the mother and her children who spent almost four years isolated in the bush with their father, Tom Phillips.

NationalSeptember 15

Brown denies telling hospitals to save money amid ‘challenging’ flu season

Asked if the lack of recruitment in hospitals was down to orders to Health NZ to save money, Minister Simeon Brown says he "never made that instruction".

NationalSeptember 15

Retirement village law change needed for fairness: operator group

The group representing retirement village operators says government legislation needs to act as a backstop to ensure a fair situation for residents and operators.

Southland

SouthlandSeptember 16

Rugby league comeback kick-starts

Rugby League is about to kick-off again in Gore.

Gemma Sinclair

SouthlandSeptember 16

Final touches

Rachel’s Studio of Dance are gearing up for their first showcase since 2018.

Gemma Sinclair

Sport

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RugbySeptember 16

Highlanders not far off revealing Dermody replacement

Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark is promising some news soon on the replacement for a coaching stalwart.

Hayden Meikle

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RacingSeptember 16

Turner’s track record earns national success

Riverton Racecourse is Ebony Turner’s second home.

Kayla Hodge

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RugbySeptember 16

Massive prop Saula Ma’u returns for Otago

Otago’s scrum just got a lot more powerful.

Adrian Seconi

SelwynSeptember 16

‘Footballer’s wife’ now leading club

Alex Smith never had an interest in football before meeting husband Hamish Smith in 2019. But now the 31-year-old is Selwyn United’s first female president after taking over from Stan de Rooy.

By Sam Coughlan

Lifestyle

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EntertainmentSeptember 16

Response to Town Belt part of Robert Burns Fellow’s work

“Teetering on the very edge” is how poet, film maker, and artist Rachel O’Neill describes the arts in Otago and New Zealand. The 2026 Robert Burns Fellow is very grateful to have a year resourced to create — to write and collaborate.

Rebecca Fox

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EntertainmentSeptember 16

Gala performance brings back stars of stage to celebrate anniversary

The Dunedin Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 60th with a gala performance featuring pianist Michael Houstoun and Jonathan Lemalu.

Rebecca Fox

ChristchurchSeptember 16

Kings of Leon to headline Christchurch music festival

Australasia's biggest music festival returns to Christchurch for its 11th year in February, with Calvin Harris and Kings of Leon topping a bill that promises to serve up something for everyone.

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EntertainmentSeptember 16

Art Seen

Miranda Joseph and Peata Larkin's exhibition at Milford Gallery forms a trans-Pacific discussion between two tradition-inspired series of works.

James Dignan

Business

BusinessSeptember 16

'Commonsense changes' for hospitality drop-off services

Ministers say the changes will help people get home safely.

BusinessSeptember 16

Councils can impose new levy on developers from 2029

The government has confirmed it will let councils charge development levies from 2029, as it seeks to change the system by which infrastructure growth is paid for.

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BusinessSeptember 15

Dressed up an idea and now it is a booming business

Brooke Hutchison had an idea and ran with it. Now she is sprinting to keep up.

Steve Hepburn

BusinessSeptember 16

Labour targets big companies and price-gouging

Labour has promised to ban big companies from charging excessive prices, if elected in November.

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

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Tourism side-hustle helps pay for biodiversity improvements on East Otago sheep and beef farm

Income from an on-farm glamping business is being used to restore biodiversity on an East Otago farming operation.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Celebrating a conservation project to protect and restore biodiversity for future generations

Farmers are uniting as part of a biodiversity conservation project in East Otago.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Bringing biodiversity back is everyone’s responsibility, ecologist says

Communities need to drive bringing biodiversity back, an ecologist and botanist says.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Call for election promises to allow more farmers to protect biodiversity

A southern QEII National Trust field rep is hoping election promises from political parties will include a funding increase so more farmers can protect biodiversity.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineSeptember 15

‘Orchard to scoop’ approach recognised nationally

Rebecca Fox

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Masters of fusion — Northern Italy cuisine more diverse than expected

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Wake up your palate from winter hibernation with fresh, zingy ingredients

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Can you eat too much tinned tuna?

World

WorldSeptember 16

Weeks after Nepal flood disaster, families of the missing hold out hope

Thousands of people are still reported missing after a torrent of mud and rocks destroyed a Nepal-China border crossing high up in the Himalayas last month.

WorldSeptember 16

Three dead after news helicopter crash in Los Angeles

An NBC local news helicopter has crashed in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles, killing three people.

Reuters

WorldSeptember 16

‘Landmark moment’ as US confirms weapons in space

The US Air Force chief's acknowledgement this week that the Pentagon has weapons in orbit is a "landmark" moment in the rising militarisation of space, an official says.

WorldSeptember 16

Fiji declares HIV emergency as epidemic grows

Fiji's Health Minister Dr Atonio Lalabalavu has formally declared a national HIV emergency in the country.

West Coast

West CoastSeptember 16

Continuing SH6 closure ‘costly’ for West Coast tourism

West Coast tourism operators say lack of communication from NZTA about travel on SH6 is costing businesses visitors and bookings.

RNZ

West CoastSeptember 16

Search to resume for plane that vanished in 1978 with seven people on board

A search is resuming for a plane which vanished without a trace nearly half a century ago in the South, carrying seven people.

Video

OtagoSeptember 16

Cold snap brings rain and snow for South

A cold snap has brought snow to widespread areas of the South, with rain also affecting roads. SH87 between Middlemarch and Outram has reopened.

DunedinSeptember 16

Dunedin Marathon runners accused of treating nature ‘like a tip’

A trail of sticky energy gel packets strewn all over the peninsula was not the view a Dunedin cyclist was hoping for after the city’s annual marathon.

Laine Priestley

BusinessSeptember 16

Councils can impose new levy on developers from 2029

The government has confirmed it will let councils charge development levies from 2029, as it seeks to change the system by which infrastructure growth is paid for.

BusinessSeptember 16

Labour targets big companies and price-gouging

Labour has promised to ban big companies from charging excessive prices, if elected in November.

Opinion

OpinionSeptember 16

Why wealthy New Zealanders and foreigners keep buying in Queenstown

There is a question I get asked regularly: Why would someone pay several million dollars for a house in Queenstown when they could buy property elsewhere for considerably less?

Hamish Walker

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OpinionSeptember 16

Cartoonist’s view: September 17

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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EditorialSeptember 16

Damning reports need actions

Themes from damning post-scandal reports of public agencies are so familiar it is a wonder some time-saving wizard has not worked out a template for such documents.

Editorial

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OpinionSeptember 16

Not AI Doom

Somebody was bound to sound the alarm eventually. In this case it was a young British artificial intelligence researcher called Jacob Coxon, who quit his job at the AI company Anthropic to warn the world that “if we don’t slow down the current rate of progress, there is a strong chance that we could all die in the next two years.”

Gwynne Dyer

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OpinionSeptember 15

Cartoonist’s view: September 16

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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EditorialSeptember 15

Next stop, not the South Island

AUCKLAND’S spanking new $5.5billion City Rail Link has been dominating the nation’s screens and the airwaves for the past few months.

Editorial

100 Years Ago

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NewsSeptember 16

A winter’s day in spring

Yesterday the cold became more intense, and rain showers and hailstorms were replaced by snow, which fell intermittently all day and during the evening.

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NewsSeptember 15

NZ defeats Dewsbury 13-9

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 13

Māori ABs baffle Marseilles

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 13

Road may be declared a highway

At the meeting of the District Highways Council (No 16) yesterday a letter was received from the chairman of the Main Highways Board forwarding a copy of a letter.