Rebecca Fox

Central Otago was the driest spot in New Zealand in 2010.

It has been a dream of Malcam Charitable Trust's Malcolm Cameron for one of his Project Green participants to earn an apprenticeship.

Otago's colony of endangered New Zealand sea lions appears to be moving further afield to give birth, with the discovery of a sea lion and her pup on one of Dunedin's northern beaches.

Department of Conservation community relations ranger Liz Sherwood releases a mollymawk from the wharf at the Portobello aquarium this week, watched by communications ranger Claudia Barbirat and visitors to the aquarium.

Taking a gamble on an expensive trip to the other side of the world to seek medical treatment for their daughter Grace was the best thing they could have done, her mother Pip Hughes says.

Stormy weather which hit Otago late last month set records and provided half the region's December rainfall in one day.

Former Dunedin conservation biologist Ross Sinclair took a similar path to thousands of New Zealanders heading off on his "big OE", only he did not get much past Papua New Guinea. Twenty years on, he says he is only just getting a handle on the incredibly complicated and challenging country. Rebecca Fox talks to him about his work with the Wildlife Conservation Society in Papua New Guinea.

Firefighters are expected to continue working through Christmas to control a blaze which covers about 95 hectares of forestry on Mt Allan.

There are concerns about conditions in waterways throughout Otago, but in the east it is about low river levels, while in the west it is about high levels.

For the second time in a week those holidaying around the region's lakes and rivers are being warned heavy rain could lead to low-lying flooding and high wave levels.

Dunedin's hot start to the week is to continue, but the heat will be accompanied by strong winds before a southerly change arrives on Friday.

Otago farmers are watching their paddocks "green before their eyes" after recent rain they describe as a "godsend" and worth thousands of dollars to the average farmer.

Otago had a dry, warm and reasonably sunny 2010.

One year on from its grand opening, Orokonui Ecosanctuary is on track to meet its targets for translocations, income, education and visitor numbers, operations manager Chris Baillie says.

As the human impact on estuaries increases, so does the production of a harmful greenhouse gas, University of Otago graduate Dr Catherine Gongol says.

A Dunedin man's Christmas was saved by the anonymous goodwill of a person who handed in the $2500 the man lost on Friday while shopping.

Scientists are excited by the opportunity to learn more about the rarely seen Arnoux beaked whale after one was stranded and died in Purakaunui Inlet on Wednesday.