Vandals attack ecosanctuary fence
Vandals attack ecosanctuary fence
Vandalism of Orokonui Ecosanctuary's predator-proof fence has left the enclosure vulnerable to pests on two occasions.
Rebecca Fox
Air quality breaches up
Air quality breaches up
So far this year, some towns in Otago have breached the national air quality standard 22 times compared to only six times during the same period last year.
Hundreds of passengers left in a fog
Hundreds of passengers left in a fog
Persistent low fog enveloped Dunedin International Airport yesterday morning, disrupting the flight plans of hundreds of people.
Policy needed for development on hazard-prone land
Policy needed for development on hazard-prone land
Individual "piecemeal" decisions allowing development on hazard-prone land will continue without any long-term national strategic direction, Environmental Defence Society policy analyst Raewyn Peart said recently.
Assault 'could have been homicide'
Assault 'could have been homicide'
The father of Queenstown assault victim Sam Ross says he is starting to become increasingly worried about violent crime in the resort.
ORC headquarters back on agenda
ORC headquarters back on agenda
Nearly a year after the Otago Regional Council "parked" its multimillion-dollar waterfront building proposal, it is about to start the process all over again.
Regional councillors want to continue
Regional councillors want to continue
Water issues and a love of the work are the main reasons the majority of Otago Regional councillors plan to stand again in the October local body elections.
Wider rating wanted for flood protection
Wider rating wanted for flood protection
Farmers are calling for all Otago ratepayers to help fund future flood and drainage works on the Taieri.
Council clarifies funding policy
Council clarifies funding policy
Groups seeking funding from the Otago Regional Council have been reminded of its policy to consider "tangible" projects rather than operational expenditure.
Regulatory 'overkill' angers boat owners
Regulatory 'overkill' angers boat owners
A Broad Bay couple are calling for the Otago Regional Council to improve its resource consent processes for granting moorings
ORC buys site for new Taieri depot
ORC buys site for new Taieri depot
Otago Regional Council's search for land for a new depot on the Taieri Plain has come to an end, with plans to develop a site in the Otago Business Park development on Dukes Rd.
Stuck in the mire
Stuck in the mire
In April 2006, local authorities and emergency services swung into action to help the occupants of dozens of homes flooded on the Taieri Plain. Questions were asked about why houses had been built in a flood zone.
Wilding pine issue dominates
Wilding pine issue dominates
Calls for the Otago Regional Council to take a more proactive approach to wilding pine control in the Wakatipu have dominated the local body's annual plan submissions.
Risks and costs
Risks and costs
Local bodies could be seen to be neglectful if they did not use the information they had on flood risks to prevent development intensifying in flood-prone areas, a University of Otago lecturer says.
Call for ORC action
Call for ORC action
Worries an Environment Court decision allowing a family to build on a flood-prone section at Karitane could set a legal precedent has most Otago regional councillors urging the organisation to not let the matter drop.
Forum plans 'a bit ambitious'
Forum plans 'a bit ambitious'
Forums on the "far-reaching" changes proposed in the way the Otago Regional Council deals with water quality are struggling to attract their target audience - farmers.
Chairman stepping down from conservation board
Chairman stepping down from conservation board
Otago Conservation Board chairman Hoani Langsbury has not put himself forward for another term on the board.
Downpour after drought in April
Downpour after drought in April
Otago may have been declared to be in drought in early April but by the end of the month some towns in the region had received their first significant rainfall in nearly a year.
Report links farm effects on water
Report links farm effects on water
"Dirty dairying" on southwest Otago's tile-drained and mole-drained farms has for many years been in the headlines and now the Otago Regional Council has a scientific report proving intensive agriculture does affect water quality.
ORC to investigate new resource consent rules
ORC to investigate new resource consent rules
The implications of new government regulations directing councils to give discounts for late processing of resource consents are to be investigated by the Otago Regional Council.