Stuck at the bottom of a broken system
Stuck at the bottom of a broken system
Telling homeless people’s stories took the Otago Daily Times into Dunedin’s darkest boarding houses — as well as some places of hope.
Mary Williams
‘Fed to the sharks’: Life inside Dunedin’s boarding houses
‘Fed to the sharks’: Life inside Dunedin’s boarding houses
Hell and hardship are not hard to come by in Dunedin's boarding houses. Reporter Mary Williams exposes the stories of lives usually hidden behind crumbling walls.
Exposed: Abandoned in Dunedin’s houses of horror
Exposed: Abandoned in Dunedin’s houses of horror
Chronically sick and addicted homeless people are being left abandoned in Dunedin horror houses at risk of injury and death, an Otago Daily Times investigation exposes today.
No bed, no heating and $440 a week
No bed, no heating and $440 a week
The recently closed Carisbrook Hotel has been transformed into a horror house for the homeless funded by the Ministry of Social Development.
$1.3m wetland ‘greenwashing’
$1.3m wetland ‘greenwashing’
A wetland bankrolled by the government in a dairy farming area of the contentious Manuherikia catchment has been slammed as expensive greenwashing.
New test a ‘game changer’ in battle against ‘silent epidemic’
New test a ‘game changer’ in battle against ‘silent epidemic’
A revolutionary new test for hepatitis C - New Zealand’s "silent epidemic" - is already saving lives in Otago and Southland as World Hepatitis Day is marked today.
Dairying bans 'needed' to save rivers
Dairying bans 'needed' to save rivers
Drastic action, including banning dairy farming expansion in some areas, is needed to clean up some of Otago’s polluted rivers, an Otago Regional Council report says.
The battle for a river's future
The battle for a river's future
Restoring the degraded Manuherikia River and its creeks now trumps the demands of irrigators accused of sucking the life from it. Mary Williams reports on the contested catchment's future.
The River’s Turn - Restoring the Manuherikia
The River’s Turn - Restoring the Manuherikia
In Central Otago, a river’s health is being weighed against the demands of irrigation. Mary Williams investigates the complex, dry, catchment of the Manuherikia river - and the struggle to restore it
ORC to decide on hotly disputed river use
ORC to decide on hotly disputed river use
Manuherikia River minimum flow recommendations will be put to Otago regional councillors next month, ending a two-year wait, the council has confirmed.
Staff seeking more info on restructure
Staff seeking more info on restructure
Staff at Otago Polytechnic are seeking more information so they can respond to draft plans to chop jobs and possibly rehire axed staff into new roles.
Opinion: Govt’s bailout won’t rescue troubled uni
Opinion: Govt’s bailout won’t rescue troubled university
Will the bailout solve the University of Otago’s financial woes? Mary Williams crunches the numbers.
Family pushed to breaking point
Family pushed to breaking point
When David attempted suicide in the early hours of Christmas Day 2019, aged just 33, he was thinking his life insurance was worth more than his life.
Mystery surrounds Otago health sciences shake-up
Mystery surrounds Otago health sciences shake-up
The University of Otago is throwing money at consultants in a mystery-shrouded effort to shake up its prestigious health sciences division, which academics worry is doomed to fail.
Working families pulled below breadline
‘Housing insecurity’ affecting all sorts
Higher mortgage interest rates, a squeezed and pricey housing rental market, and other cost-of-living hikes are stretching some family budgets beyond the limit.
Ex-CFO ‘confident’ uni’s savings target will be met
Ex-CFO ‘confident’ uni’s savings target will be met
The departing chief financial officer at the University of Otago says she is "confident" the cash-strapped university will reach a $25 million savings target it set itself for this year.
Working families pulled below breadline
‘Housing insecurity’ affecting all sorts
Higher mortgage interest rates, a squeezed and pricey housing rental market, and many other cost-of-living hikes are stretching some family budgets beyond the limit.
Polytech job cut numbers stay secret
Polytech job cut numbers stay secret
Staff at Otago Polytechnic and Southern Institute of Technology are still in the dark about how many roles could be cut, after a national announcement proposing the slashing of 400 roles across all polytechnics.
Apology after glitch stops staff accessing plan
Apology after glitch stops staff accessing plan
The head of the embattled national polytechnic has apologised to staff facing the chop after technical problems stopped them accessing a document to learn about their fate.
Tears over polytech redundancy news
Tears over polytech redundancy news
Some staff at Otago Polytechnic and Southern Institute of Technology were left in tears yesterday after being told their jobs were at risk.