Rhys Chamberlain

A volunteer fireman paged to attend a car fire was shocked when he stepped out of his house and realised it was his own vehicle ablaze.

Tackling the "complex issue'' of sexual violence was the aim of agencies that attended a workshop at the Edgar Centre on Thursday.

Streets surrounding the Octagon in Dunedin are among the most violent crime hot spots in the country, statistics suggest.

Waikouaiti looks set to have one police officer fewer if a proposed restructuring of the Otago coastal area is confirmed.

A St Clair family's world had been "turned upside down'' after husband and father Craig Hickford was seriously injured when he was struck by a ute while cycling in February, but things are improving.

Alcohol and money were stolen after thieves entered an unlocked house in Berwick St, Kaikorai Valley, police say.

Otago is having an endless summer - and it's set to continue.

The South Dunedin community is tired of waiting for its community police station to reopen to the public after being closed for 11 months and is demanding answers.

Residents of South Dunedin think the Dunedin City Council believes flood control and prevention is too big an issue to handle, Dunedin South MP Clare Curran says.

There is a heavy rain warning for the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers, with 120mm expected to fall in some areas between 9am and 9pm today.

Police are continuing their investigation into a serious assault outside a bar in Invercargill on Sunday.

The Fire Service in Dunedin is searching for a new risk management officer, after the incumbent decided to return to active firefighting.

A padlocked fire exit above Bacchus Wine Bar and Restaurant in the Octagon had potentially fatal consequences, a senior firefighter says.

A high-ranking Dunedin police officer is the No1 candidate to take the top job on the West Coast and looks set to leave the city.