Regions

All geared up

Grabbing some bargains at the Whakatipu Ski Club’s annual snowsports sale yesterday are (from left) Daren, Tate, 11, and Emily, 7, Jevon, of Queenstown.
Spirits high but doubt clouds future of Bluff oyster festival

A lower than usual turnout did little to dampen the high spirits of organisers and attendees at the annual Bluff Oyster and Food Festival.
Family escapes Balclutha house fire

A young family was being comforted after escaping a house fire on State Highway 1 at the southern end of Balclutha today.

One authority should run region: council

One authority should run region: council

Invercargill City Council has announced it would prefer Southland’s councils to combine into one authority, but the brains behind amalgamation in the region does not approve.
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Fruit variety protections hailed

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Fruit variety protections hailed

A central Otago grower involved in developing new apricot varieties has welcomed changes that will give plant breeders exclusive commercial rights for longer.
Woman stole $47,000 from grandmother

Woman stole $47,000 from grandmother

An Oamaru woman stole more than $47,000 from her grandmother, leaving her victim with no money to pay her rest-home fees.

queenstown

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Arrowtown tops Otago bad air rankings

Arrowtown has come top of the rankings, but not in a category any town would want to win.

All geared up

All geared up

Grabbing some bargains at the Whakatipu Ski Club’s annual snowsports sale yesterday are (from left) Daren, Tate, 11, and Emily, 7, Jevon, of Queenstown.
Drivers may face fines for not using chains in wintry conditions

Drivers may face fines for not using chains in wintry conditions

Motorists could be fined for failing to fit chains in snowy or icy conditions on council-managed roads, the Queenstown Lakes District Council has warned.
QLDC tells drivers to fit chains or face fines

QLDC tells drivers to fit chains or face fines

Motorists who do not fit chains in snowy or icy conditions in the Queenstown Lakes district may be fined for the first time.

Wanaka

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Whodunnit and where do pets go when they die?

Jessica Howland Kany’s latest book, Parrot Heaven, is a product made by Wānaka people for Wānaka people, exploring themes of running, injury and the animal afterlife.

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Pilot died ‘doing what he loved’

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Pilot died ‘doing what he loved’

Wānaka pilot Tim Brown will be farewelled on Wednesday after he died ‘‘doing what he loved’’.
Chopper crash deaths 'a heartbreaking shock'

Chopper crash deaths 'a heartbreaking shock'

The deaths of two men in a helicopter crash in Mount Aspiring National Park have been described as devastating and ‘‘a heartbreaking shock’’.
Chopper crash victims 'highly experienced'

Chopper crash victims were 'highly experienced'

Sean Roach and Tim Brown were on a guided hunting operation in Mt Aspiring National Park.

Central Otago

A drilling rig at Santana mine site. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY

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Fast-track bid hits snag over gaps in information

Santana Minerals’ bid for fast-track approval to mine gold at Bendigo has hit a snag over information gaps in its application.

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Fruit variety protections hailed

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Fruit variety protections hailed

A central Otago grower involved in developing new apricot varieties has welcomed changes that will give plant breeders exclusive commercial rights for longer.
Opening of trail delayed until spring

Opening of trail delayed until spring

The opening of the long-awaited Kawarau Gorge Trail has been pushed back until September.
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Mustangs roar into town

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Mustangs roar into town

Alexandra’s main street came alive on Saturday as 36 Mustangs rolled through town for the 2026 Southern Muster.

South Otago

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Rugby club official decries violent fracas at clubrooms

The president of a South Otago rugby club says he is shocked and disappointed a party held at its venue descended into violence, including one person being bottled.

Firefighters mourn one of their own after Clutha Valley crash

Firefighters mourn one of their own after Clutha Valley crash

A South Otago brigade is mourning the death of one of its firefighters at the weekend, just 14 months after losing another volunteer to a tractor accident.
Man taken to hospital after 'bottling'

Man taken to hospital after 'bottling' amid disorder at Milton party

A man was bottled and transported to Dunedin Hospital with injuries after a 21st party at a rural Otago rugby club erupted into violence, police say.
Family escapes Balclutha house fire

Family escapes Balclutha house fire

A young family was being comforted after escaping a house fire on State Highway 1 at the southern end of Balclutha today.

north otago

Woman stole $47,000 from grandmother

An Oamaru woman stole more than $47,000 from her grandmother, leaving her victim with no money to pay her rest-home fees.

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Railcar ‘Phoenix’ rises again

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Railcar ‘Phoenix’ rises again

Harry Andrew and his team of volunteers saw their latest pride and joy, the restored Phoenix railcar, carry its first passengers in decades at the weekend.
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Grave fears for cemetery unless coastal erosion is tackled urgently

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Grave fears for cemetery unless coastal erosion is tackled urgently

Bones could be washed out to sea at Hampden Cemetery ‘‘in the next year or two’’ unless urgent action is taken on coastal erosion, the community board’s deputy chairman has warned.
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Debt concerns voiced on amalgamation

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Debt concerns voiced on amalgamation

Debt and assets will play a major role in the ‘‘complex picture’’ around councils’ amalgamating, Waitaki District Mayor Mel Tavendale says.

southland

Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell. PHOTO: ODT FILES

One authority should run region: council

Invercargill City Council has announced it would prefer Southland’s councils to combine into one authority, but the brains behind amalgamation in the region does not approve.