ODT.co.nz | Otago Daily Times | Latest South Island News

SUBSCRIBER

QueenstownSeptember 29

Illegal crayfish operation for luxury hotel ‘misstep’, helicopter boss says

A Queenstown helicopter firm’s involvement in an illegal fishing operation arose from a misunderstanding, its director says.

Grant Miller

UPDATED

ChristchurchSeptember 29

Neighbours heard 10 ‘good loud bangs’ before dead woman found at Christchurch flat

Police have launched a homicide investigation after a woman was found dead at a Christchurch property on Wednesday morning.

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 29

Gore farmer left cows in ‘most appalling conditions’

A Gore farmer knowingly left his injured cows in “appalling” condition for days, causing one to develop a rotting udder.

Felicity Dear

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 29

‘Really ashamed’: Dunedin businessman fled drunken smash

A Dunedin business owner who fled a drunken crash made a “spectacular error of judgement”, a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 29

Invercargill movie star dog so famous it's had to go into hiding

Toni McDonald

DunedinSeptember 29

$600k George St seesaws run into more problems

SUBSCRIBER

FashionSeptember 29

Ōtepoti Op Shop Hop: mapping Dunedin’s second-hand style scene

ODT QuizSeptember 29

ODT quiz: September 30

Dunedin

DunedinSeptember 29

Liquidators battle boss of failed Otago engineering company over $1.5m

The former owner of a defunct Otago engineering firm who fled New Zealand and left his shareholder account more than $1.5 million overdrawn has disputed he needs to pay it all back.

Grant Miller

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 29

Loneliness levels reaching ‘epidemic’ proportions in New Zealand

Nearly half of Otago’s residents are lonely, and the numbers continue to increase, according to a recent government survey.

John Lewis

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 29

Dunedin Hospital ED staff experience ‘hellish’ winter

Dunedin Hospital’s emergency department has come through a “hellish” winter outperforming other main centres, but a senior nurse is questioning the data.

Matthew Littlewood

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 29

RNA testing key to working out whether genetic changes will cause disease

While genetic testing can identify thousands of changes in a person's DNA, the challenge in clinical genomics has long been identifying whether those changes are harmless, or likely to cause disease.

John Lewis

Latest News

1

SUBSCRIBER

North OtagoSeptember 29

Meridian announces half-billion-dollar upgrade for ‘iconic’ Waitaki Power Station

2

WorldSeptember 29

Mother accused of killing children changes defence strategy

3

WorldSeptember 29

'Going to get tough': rate increase to hit Aussie hospo

4

BusinessSeptember 29

Trump considers creating committee to oversee AI sector

5

UPDATED

ChristchurchSeptember 29

Neighbours heard 10 ‘good loud bangs’ before dead woman found at Christchurch flat

Otago

SUBSCRIBER

WānakaSeptember 29

Central Otago can’t dump human waste in its backyard because Queenstown got there first

Central Otago District Council is unable to discharge waste from Cromwell to farmland in its own district because Queenstown Lakes District Council got there first.

Ruairi O'Shea

SUBSCRIBER

North OtagoSeptember 29

Meridian announces half-billion-dollar upgrade for ‘iconic’ Waitaki Power Station

Meridian Energy has announced a 10-year plan to invest up to $510 million upgrading the Waitaki Power Station.

Charley-Kai John

SUBSCRIBER

OtagoSeptember 29

Jones heading to Cromwell next month

Shane Jones is coming to Cromwell and there will be short odds on what he is going to talk about.

Steve Hepburn

SUBSCRIBER

OtagoSeptember 29

Elephant fish catch takes plunge as minister admits there will be economic impact

The fish used by many fish and chip shops in the South is having its catch heavily reduced, which will have economic consequences, the Fisheries Minister admits.

Steve Hepburn

Editor's Picks

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 28

Dunedin lawyer’s courthouse theft leaves career in tatters

A Dunedin lawyer who stole from a colleague while inside the courthouse can finally be named after a near-four-year legal battle

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 22

Construction company selected for $4.6m Dunedin dino park upgrades

Ruby Shaw

SUBSCRIBER

Class ActSeptember 21

Class Act 2026: All the recipients

Paul McIntyre

Canterbury

ChristchurchSeptember 29

Cyclist pulled over for not wearing helmet charged with memorial plaque thefts

A 40-year-old man will appear in court after allegedly stealing several brass plaques worth more than $2000 from memorials in central Christchurch.

ChristchurchSeptember 29

Arrests made after shopkeeper assaulted during youth crime spree

Five youths have been arrested after allegedly assaulting a shopkeeper and stealing "multiple cars" in Christchurch.

North CanterburySeptember 29

Paul Henry ‘desperately committed' to becoming an MP

The court at Rangiora's Mainpower Stadium is usually reserved for team sports like basketball and netball - but the floor was given to ACT candidate Paul Henry this week.

ChristchurchSeptember 29

Child suffers serious injuries during dog attack

A child has been taken to Christchurch Hospital with serious injuries after another dog attack in Aranui on Tuesday.

National

NationalSeptember 29

Charity believes lowered bowel screen age will prevent many deaths

The change is being rolled out region by region, making another 200,000 Kiwis eligible for the free at home test.

NationalSeptember 29

More nurses for North Shore Hospital after ‘nightmare’ winter

Nurses spoke out in August about how they were struggling in an ED that sometimes had triple the number of patients it was staffed to deal with.

NationalSeptember 29

‘Huge loss’: Former Speaker and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru Adrian Rurawhe dies

The former speaker and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru Adrian Rurawhe has died.

RNZ

NationalSeptember 29

Five-week delays in cancer diagnoses as specialists overwhelmed with work

Specialists who diagnose cancers are warning that backlogs are resulting in an unacceptable five week delay.

Southland

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 29

Satellite station accused of trying to ‘head off’ development

Space Operations NZ was accused of not acting in a fair manner and was trying to “head off at the pass” a development by Calder Stewart, a hearing was told yesterday.

Steve Hepburn

SouthlandSeptember 29

Run-down Invercargill council building still awaiting repairs

A fifth of the $21 million set aside to fix issues at Invercargill City Council’s ageing headquarters has been spent, despite no repair work being carried out.

Matthew Rosenberg

Sport

SUBSCRIBER

NetballSeptember 29

‘I feel like the new girl back at school’: Selby-Rickit back in black

Te Paea Selby-Rickit feels like the new kid on the block.

Kayla Hodge

MotorsportSeptember 29

Injury battles weigh heavily on Southland motorcycle racer

No matter how many ways Cormac Buchanan cooks it in his Spanish apartment, it’s still chicken and rice.

RugbySeptember 29

Taylor to captain All Blacks as Frizell recalled, Love out

Codie Taylor will captain an All Blacks team containing both a significant recall and an unexpected omission.

Hayden Meikle

SUBSCRIBER

NetballSeptember 28

Settled Silver Ferns squads for series

Noeline Taurua has opted for experience as the Silver Ferns look to wrestle the Constellation Cup off Australia next month.

Kayla Hodge

Lifestyle

SUBSCRIBER

FashionSeptember 29

Tartan reimagined — worn by kings, farmers and celebrities

Worn by the King, James Bond, Sienna Miller and many a farmer around the worldand down the country, there are few brands that run the sartorial gamut quite like Barbour.

SUBSCRIBER

TravelSeptember 28

Blissful sense of calm in the age-old lanes of Greenwich

Greenwich Village is a star specimen for leisurely snacking and exploring, because it embodies so many classic elements of the Big Apple, steeped in history and foodie fabulousness.

EntertainmentSeptember 28

Broadcaster Susie Ferguson leaves RNZ after 16 years

After 16 years at RNZ, veteran broadcaster Susie Ferguson has left the public media organisation following changes to the Saturday Morning programme.

SUBSCRIBER

The MixSeptember 25

Festival rocking for democracy

Music will be moving young people to vote at a festival next weekend, Tom McKinlay writes.

Business

SUBSCRIBER

BusinessSeptember 29

Who knew? Blackhead Quarry — the Everest of the South

At first glance, Dunedin’s Blackhead Quarry might not have much in common with the world’s highest mountain.

Sally Rae

BusinessSeptember 29

Trump considers creating committee to oversee AI sector

Pressure is mounting on the Trump administration to address risks posed by AI, after OpenAI and Anthropic reported their AI agents had gone rogue and hacked into other companies' systems.

Reuters

BusinessSeptember 29

Rising diesel price could hike costs for Kiwis

Rising diesel prices could make the rest of this year more expensive for New Zealanders.

BusinessSeptember 29

New RNZ boss named

Jason Winstanley has been named as RNZ's new chief executive and will take up the role next year.

Rural Life

Rural EventsSeptember 27

Agriculture politicians share their vision for southern rural communities

Why is voting for your party in the best interests of rural communities in Otago and Southland?

Shawn McAvinue

DairySeptember 23

Fonterra reports $3.4 billion operating profit following sale of Mainland brands

Dairy co-operative Fonterra has delivered a strong full-year operating profit of $3.4 billion, thanks in part to $1.2b from the sale of its Mainland brands.

SUBSCRIBER

Rural Life OtherSeptember 23

El Nino to amplify highs and lows of spring weather in the South

El Nino will amplify the natural rollercoaster of weather southern farmers get in spring, a meteorologist warns.

Shawn McAvinue

Rural EventsSeptember 23

Wool prices lift at auction as bidders battle for limited supply

Wet weather was a factor driving demand for wool, PGG Wrightson national auction manager Dave Burridge says.

Food & Wine

Food & WineSeptember 29

Simple, nourishing and stress-free meals for families

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineSeptember 29

New technology allows zero alcohol beers to be poured from a beer tap

Beer — Ric Oram

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineSeptember 29

Hawke’s Bay New Zealand’s second largest wine region

Wine Times: Mark Henderson

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineSeptember 29

Crunchy raw kohlarbi salad

In Season: Alison Lambert

World

WorldSeptember 29

Mother accused of killing children changes defence strategy

Lindsay Clancy's lawyers say prosecutors have not proven that the Massachusetts woman killed her three children in 2023, in a shift from their previous defence that she was not criminally responsible due to mental illness.

Reuters

WorldSeptember 29

'Going to get tough': rate increase to hit Aussie hospo

Struggling restaurants and cafes are facing even tougher times ahead in Australia after interest rates rose for the fourth time in 2026.

AAP

WorldSeptember 29

Spain proposes ban on evictions

Spain's govt has agreed proposals including banning evictions until 2030 to address a housing crisis, as the 87-year-old woman whose forced removal triggered protests accepted an offer to return home.

WorldSeptember 29

OpenAI scraps release of new model over safety concerns

OpenAI has scrapped the release of a next-generation AI model planned for an October debut after testing found the system did not meet the company's safety and alignment standards.

Reuters

West Coast

SUBSCRIBER

West CoastSeptember 29

The chips are down for takeaway owner

The old maxim, “Today’s news — tomorrow’s chip paper”, could be no more.

Meg Fulford

West CoastSeptember 29

Gloriavale teacher censured after striking student with vacuum cleaner pipe

A Gloriavale teacher has been censured for serious misconduct after striking a 14-year-old student with a vacuum cleaner pipe.

SUBSCRIBER

Class ActSeptember 21

Class Act 2026: All the recipients

Class Act celebrates the excellence of young people in our province and now, more than ever, we will be looking to them for leadership.

Paul McIntyre

Video

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinSeptember 29

Search for historic siege gun resumes

The search for a lost piece of WWI heritage weaponry in Dunedin is back on after recent studies could indicate it lies beneath the Oval sports grounds.

Matthew Littlewood

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 29

Invercargill movie star dog so famous it's had to go into hiding

A family pet has gone from an Invercargill suburb to a starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Toni McDonald

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 29

Oscar worthy: Invercargill dog in starring role beside Brad Pitt

Channelling his namesake, the Invercargill German shepherd Hondo was born for action on the big screen.

Toni McDonald

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandSeptember 28

Topless protestor who dumped lamb carcasses banned from Southland council building

Controversial slink-skin operator Eddie Zhi has been barred from going within 500m of the Environment Southland headquarters.

Tayler Mutton

Opinion

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionSeptember 29

Cartoonist’s view: September 30

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionSeptember 29

September’s ozone hole was the biggest in 20 years. The warning signs appeared months ago

The area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole peaked at more than 27 million sq km in September, the second-largest ever observed for this time of year.

Hannah E Kessenich

SUBSCRIBER

EditorialSeptember 29

Learning the lessons of others

Part of building a robust, resilient town or city is ensuring mistakes from other places or disasters they may have gone through are not repeated.

Editorial

OpinionSeptember 29

What do NZ voters really care about? A global comparison reveals some surprise

As New Zealand heads toward a general election, political parties are setting out their priorities and candidates are making their pitches, all hoping to focus on the issues they believe will resonate the most.

Dennis Wesselbaum

OpinionSeptember 29

Outdated decisions are the foundation of New Zealand’s economy

Dr John Cossens (Opinion ODT 14.9.26) says Otago was born of gold. It was born earlier than that, and of something smellier.

Grant McLachlan

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionSeptember 28

Cartoonist’s view: September 29

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

100 Years Ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsSeptember 29

Board mulls shift to Ranfurly

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsSeptember 28

Money pit: empty shells filled

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsSeptember 27

Smaller animals, smaller cuts

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsSeptember 25

Shield match shieldless

100 years ago