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DunedinOctober 7

Teen sexually assaulted in tent at Dunedin homeless camp

A man who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old while they shared a tent at Dunedin’s homeless camp has been jailed for 20 months.

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QueenstownOctober 7

Walter Peak fire to face scrutiny

Tourism operations at Walter Peak High Country Farm were cancelled yesterday as fire crews battled a massive vegetation fire on the mountain.

Guy Williams

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WānakaOctober 7

‘Mystical shaman’ plans Wānaka temple

A self-described “mystical shaman” who oversaw a failed investment fund now has plans to build a “church” in Wānaka.

Ruairi O'Shea

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BusinessOctober 7

‘Not the outcome we wanted’: company linked to Dunedin engineer liquidated over $1.2m debt

A director of Dunedin engineering firm Site Weld says the liquidation of its former trading company over a $1.2 million debt “isn’t the outcome we wanted”.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 7

‘Music’s always my first love’: Mother Goose rocker releases first album in 40 years

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 7

Milton man found with child pornography to serve home detention near school

Felicity Dear

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WānakaOctober 7

Something in the water: first test results at Lauder human waste site show significant spikes in nitrates

Ruairi O'Shea

ODT QuizOctober 7

ODT quiz: October 8

Dunedin

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DunedinOctober 7

New $655k St Clair handrail showing signs of corrosion

The council has batted away concerns about the quality of an upgraded seafront stretch of handrails in St Clair, saying “superficial staining” will be dealt with.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinOctober 7

Bus passenger says changes are more than minor to him

A Dunedin bus user has cried foul after his early morning bus trip was canned, saying he is now having to drive to get to work on time.

Steve Hepburn

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DunedinOctober 7

From top Otago kitchens to prison classrooms: chef celebrates becoming NZ citizen

From working iconic Otago kitchens to teaching prisoners how to cook, it has been a roller-coaster journey to becoming a New Zealand citizen for Savraj Singh.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinOctober 7

Student president wants to tackle cost-of-living issues

The newly-elected president of the Otago University Students’ Association wants the organisation to help address cost-of-living issues among students.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

NationalOctober 7

National pledges drug testing for jobseeker beneficiaries

2

ChristchurchOctober 7

‘People know what has happened’: Police say missing man no longer alive — police

3

WorldOctober 7

Botched execution: Christa Pike ‘awake and angry’

4

ChristchurchOctober 7

Metal thief targets Christchurch EV charging station

5

NationalOctober 7

Refuge says emergency housing rules putting victims at risk

Otago

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WānakaOctober 7

15 freedom camping infringements a day in Queenstown Lakes

Issues caused by freedom camping have been laid bare at a council workshop, which sought to identity whether — and how — to accommodate freedom campers.

Ruairi O'Shea

QueenstownOctober 7

Overnight rain helps damp down Walter Peak fire

The massive fire near Queenstown is estimated to have burnt about 1400 hectares of vegetation and is still not under control.

North OtagoOctober 7

Miles who? Voters fail to recognise election candidates

Most voters in the Waitaki Electorate do not know the names of their general election candidates, including the incumbent MP, a new poll has revealed.

Nic Duff

South OtagoOctober 7

Bar hazards outlined for boaties

Boaties are being encouraged to brush up on their bar-crossing skills at a free presentation in Balclutha tonight.

Richard Davison

Editor's Picks

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DunedinOctober 2

‘We have nowhere else to go’: Taxman blamed as small Otago town loses only pub

A small Otago town has lost its only pub and its owner is blaming Inland Revenue.

Tim Scott

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DunedinSeptember 28

Dunedin lawyer’s courthouse theft leaves career in tatters

Rob Kidd

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North OtagoOctober 5

Otago school at centre of student ‘sextortion’ allegation revealed

Jules Chin

Canterbury

ChristchurchOctober 7

‘People know what has happened’: Police say missing man no longer alive — police

Police believe a missing 21-year-old Christchurch father is "no longer alive" as they continue the search for him.

ChristchurchOctober 7

Metal thief targets Christchurch EV charging station

Another electric vehicle charging station in Canterbury has been targeted in an alleged bid to steal the valuable metals inside the cables.

ChristchurchOctober 7

Up to a dozen rockets a year could be launched from Canterbury spaceport

Large rockets weighing up to 100 tonnes each could be launched a dozen times a year from the planned national aerospace centre near Christchurch.

North CanterburyOctober 7

Rangiora's failing water pipes to get 'once in a generation' overhaul

Retailers and shoppers on Rangiora’s High St can expect some disruption next year as the Waimakariri District Council replaces water pipes.

David Hill

Election 2026

NationalOctober 7

National pledges drug testing for jobseeker beneficiaries

National is promising to introduce random drug testing for those on the jobseeker benefit to ensure they are "ready for work".

RNZ

BusinessOctober 7

Seymour again hints at raising retirement age

ACT will release its fiscal plan on Sunday, one day ahead of National's, with leader David Seymour signalling a focus on cuts with no new taxes.

OtagoOctober 6

Southerners high in NZ First party list

New Zealand First could potentially have two southern MPs in the next Parliament, given the rankings in its party list released Wednesday.

Mike Houlahan

BusinessOctober 6

Finance debate: What major parties agree on and what they don’t

Barbara Edmonds and Nicola Willis agree on renewables and education, but differ on how to ease household costs.

National

NationalOctober 7

Refuge says emergency housing rules putting victims at risk

The 2024 policy changes introduced stricter eligibility criteria and ongoing requirements to prove their need and demonstrate attempts to secure other housing.

NationalOctober 7

Tamihere seeking 'quite huge' compensation

David Tamihere believes he should be entitled to a "quite huge" payout from the Crown for the 20 years he spent in prison now charges of murder have been withdrawn.

NationalOctober 7

'Half surprised, half pissed-off': David Tamihere still processing freedom news

For nearly 36 years, David Tamihere was at the centre of one of the country's most infamous murder cases.

NationalOctober 7

Woman found dead in Waiheke Island home an hour after welfare check

The death of a woman on Auckland's Waiheke Island is being treated as suspicious after police were called to her home twice on the day she died.

Southland

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SouthlandOctober 7

Slink skin operator takes on council in Environment Court over resource consent

Southland Slink skin operator Eddie Zhi appeared in the Environment Court in Invercargill Court yesterday, fighting to revoke the council’s decision to take away his resource consent.

Tayler Mutton

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SouthlandOctober 7

Race season to start at Teretonga

The first motor race meeting of the 2026/27 season at Teretonga Park in Invercargill takes place over the weekend of 17/18 of October.

Lindsay Beer

Sport

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RugbyOctober 7

Highlanders appoint well-travelled former hooker as scrum coach

The Highlanders have made an intriguing addition to their coaching staff.

Hayden Meikle

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SportOctober 7

‘This is what a woman in sports looks like’: women take back power after advert

You all know the advert I’m talking about by now.

Kayla Hodge

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SportOctober 7

Stampede win NZ under-18 ice hockey title

Juniors by name, very much the Stampede by nature.

Hayden Meikle

RugbyOctober 7

Brooker recalled, Sopoaga, Dale get inaugural U21 call up

Matatū captain Grace Brooker has been recalled for international duties three years after last pulling on the Black Ferns jersey.

Kayla Hodge

Lifestyle

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EntertainmentOctober 7

Residency gives artist chance to experiment with ‘goop’ and storytelling

Daphne Simons admits parts of her latest film work is “quite gross”.

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EntertainmentOctober 7

Different cultures collide in new solo dance work

Abel Revéret loves different cultures. Not surprising, since the French-Indian dancer has grown up living in France, India, New Zealand and briefly in a few Scandanavian countries.

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EntertainmentOctober 7

Art Seen

Joanna Osborne reviews three Oamaru art exhibitions

WorldOctober 7

‘On the Waterfront’ star Eva Marie Saint dies at 102

Eva Marie Saint, the graceful blonde who delivered two of the most notable film performances of the 1950s in On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando and North by Northwest opposite Cary Grant, has died at the age of 102.

Business

BusinessOctober 7

Labour targets big banks in cost of living focus

Labour is vowing to make it easier for new banking and payment companies to compete with ANZ, ASB, BNZ and Westpac.

BusinessOctober 7

Card fee regulations are here, so why are surcharges more common than ever?

New rules for what shops can be charged for accepting credit card payments are in place but so far neither retailers nor consumers are convinced they are seeing the benefits.

BusinessOctober 6

National plans to cut compliance costs for small businesses

The National Party has unveiled a plan to support small businesses by cutting compliance costs.

Russell Palmer of RNZ

BusinessOctober 6

Pain at the pump: Kiwis choosing not to drive

Fuel prices have reached a tipping point where they start affecting New Zealanders' driving decisions - and the longer they stay high, the more the effect is likely to be felt.

Rural Life

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Rural Life OtherOctober 7

Practical health advice for men focus of Awamoko event

Sam McBride would like to see men’s health have greater recognition in New Zealand.

Sally Rae

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Rural LifeOctober 6

Drones prune control costs by making light work of tracking stray wilding pines

Drones are cutting control costs by tracing wilding pine stragglers in the Tekapo River area.

Tim Cronshaw

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Red MeatSeptember 30

Six-figure sire hits Southland after North Otago stop to collect genetics

An $100,000 black bull is now in his new home in Southland after a stop in Otago to harvest semen to sell to underbidders.

Shawn McAvinue

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Red MeatSeptember 30

A hope of higher prices for yearling bulls to continue at southern sales

The outlook is positive as the spring bull sale season nears in Southland and Otago, an agent and vendors say.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sweet, tender greens mark the beginning of longer days

Food & WineOctober 6

‘Fruity, chocolately, creamy or tangy?’ asks Australian baker

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sauteed Brussels sprouts, leek and crispy kale

In Season: Alison Lambert

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Food & WineOctober 6

Progressive lunch features cheese rolls and pavlova

Rebecca Fox

World

WorldOctober 7

Botched execution: Christa Pike ‘awake and angry’

Christa Pike's lawyers have succeeded in getting all evidence from the execution attempt preserved.

Reuters

WorldOctober 7

Australia's top court rules against coal mine in landmark climate case

An Australian community group has won the first climate change case to come before the country's top court, with judges upholding a decision to block a two-decade extension of a coal mine in New South Wales.

Reuters

WorldOctober 7

Israelis mark three years since October 7 attack

Israelis are marking three years since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering a military assault that destroyed much of Gaza.

Reuters

WorldOctober 7

NZ investigators help jail 21-year-old US child abuser

An American man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in prison, thanks to the help of New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs.

Brianna McIlraith, Open Justice reporter

West Coast

West CoastOctober 6

Truck and trailer rolls in Grey District

Traffic management is in place after a large truck and trailer unit rolled at Taylorville in the Grey District.

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West CoastOctober 6

‘Cokitika’ — Druggy West Coast town gets Class A new nickname

Hokitika locals have dubbed their town “Cokitika” due to its high drug use.

Janna Sherman

Video

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BusinessOctober 6

From footballer to candlemaker: How a sports injury changed a Dunedin man’s life

When a football injury sidelined him for 18 months, Philip Yeardley thought his life was over.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 5

‘Stunning’ splash of colour reflects Otago Peninsula’s natural beauty

A mural capturing the essence of an Otago Harbour sunrise has made for a “stunning” addition to Macandrew Bay Library.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinOctober 5

‘I'm very conscious of the poverty in Africa’: Dunedin nan racks up 37 years of sponsoring children

Mary McFarlane treasures her memory of a young girl’s delight at being gifted a box of pencils.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinOctober 5

Onwards and upwards

Less than three months after the first steel column was erected on the new Dunedin hospital  inpatients building site, the facility is rising rapidly from the extensive foundations.

John Lewis

Opinion

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OpinionOctober 7

How to handle what the pros call a spat

“I would not like to call this an incident. Let’s say it’s a diplomatic misunderstanding,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said.

Gwynne Dyer

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EditorialOctober 7

AI and official information

The Office of the Ombudsman releasing guidance this week on official information and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) is another example of the impact of this technology.

Editorial

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OpinionOctober 7

Anticipation as October dawns on campus

We have reached that strange period of the semester, when lectures begin to dwindle, but studying must pick up.

Eleanor Wong

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OpinionOctober 7

Cartoonist’s view: October 8

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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OpinionOctober 6

Please, no health promises under pressure

It would be good if this election campaign, leaders could resist making up health policy on the hoof.

Elspeth McLean

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OpinionOctober 6

Cartoonist’s view: October 7

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

100 Years Ago

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NewsOctober 7

Choirs popular drawcard

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 6

Otago School wins dance section

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 5

Thousands mourn Mother Aubert

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 4

Church of Christ opens

100 years ago