Rebecca Fox

Joe van Alphen routinely wins awards for his dahlias and tulips but it is his pumpkins that have been getting the attention lately.

A cuppa, a scone and a chat can be all some people need to ease the social isolation they find themselves in.

The Dunedin City Council will not be seeking repayment of the $400,000 debt it wrote off to save the Otago Rugby Football Union even though it was now back in the black.

The organisers of the Strath Taieri A&P Show put their feet up yesterday happy in the knowledge their event had been one of the best in years.

Twenty young Otago rugby players will be ''coached'' by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a Rippa rugby tournament at Forsyth Barr Stadium during the royal visit next month.

An international panel of scientists on April 13 told us greenhouse gas emissions were accelerating despite reduction efforts. But not everyone believes in human-caused climate change. Rebecca Fox looks at why. 

More publicity about the damage wallabies can cause, similar to that of a ''gigantic rabbit'', has been called for after confirmed sightings of the pests in the Trotters Gorge and Hampden areas.

Dredging may be the most practical way of reducing toxic algae blooms in the Tomahawk lagoons, an Otago Regional Council report says.

The first step in a possible change of public transport management in Dunedin has been taken.

In its first ''official'' season, activity on the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail is much higher than the forecast.

Instead of permitting offshore exploration for oil and gas, New Zealand should be extending its lead in renewables and assisting other countries to adopt the same, University of Otago Energy Studies director Assoc Prof Bob Lloyd says.

If the Otago Regional Council decides to transfer its public transport responsibilities to the Dunedin City Council, its transport role in Queenstown could be up for discussion as well.