Jury picked for Shadbolt defamation case

A jury is being chosen in Invercargill for what is believed to be Southland's first defamation trial for 100 years.

An Invercargill city councillor, Karen Arnold, has taken the case against the mayor Tim Shadbolt and newspaper The Southland Times for a series of columns published between October 2014 and April 2015.

• This story was first published in RNZ

In the columns Mr Shadbolt questioned Ms Arnold's stance and actions on several high-profile projects.

The pair have had a fractious relationship since she joined the council in 2013.

This morning the High Court was choosing a jury to hear the case, which is expected to take two weeks.

Opening arguments are expected to be heard tomorrow morning.