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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

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DunedinSeptember 21

Planned closure of ward 10A closer; union critical over loss of services

A plan to close Wakari Hospital's controversial ward 10A has been confirmed, but a union says it will leave no secure unit for patients with intellectual disabilities or mental illness in the south.

Steve Hepburn

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DunedinSeptember 21

Emails lift lid on shock, horror and praise for South D flood options

Residents were blindsided by the proposed purchase and demolition of more than 1000 properties in and around South Dunedin, documents reveal.

Ruby Shaw

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DunedinSeptember 21

‘Every night I cry in silence’: Girls indecently assaulted by church leader who avoids jail

A church youth group leader who indecently assaulted two children has avoided imprisonment.

Felicity Dear

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DunedinSeptember 21

Full circle moment: Dunedin band rocks to third place at national Rockquest finals

Laine Priestley

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North OtagoSeptember 21

Waitaki renters worse off than Aucklanders: report

Charley-Kai John

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DunedinSeptember 21

Microchipping, desexing could be proposed for Dunedin cats

Grant Miller

ODT QuizSeptember 21

ODT quiz: September 22

Dunedin

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DunedinSeptember 21

Man injured at Castle St party not a student at the university

The person who was seriously injured on Castle St on Sunday was not an Otago university student and was one of many who were there who was from out of town, the university says

Steve Hepburn

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DunedinSeptember 21

Regular one of first to take plunge as pool opens for season

A fine day and a chance for a dip on Monday with Port Chalmers Pool opening its doors for another season.

Steve Hepburn

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DunedinSeptember 21

Train canned after tragedy in Waikato

A chance to hop on a train in Dunedin and head north was denied for passengers on Monday, after a death in a railway station in the North Island.

Steve Hepburn

DunedinSeptember 21

Roadworks causing delays to and from Port Chalmers

People travelling to and from Port Chalmers are being warned to expect delays as the road has been reduced to one lane for the rest of the week.

Laine Priestley

Latest News

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ChristchurchSeptember 21

$100 a cup for the ‘highest-quality coffee you’ll probably ever try’

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NationalSeptember 21

'She was a lost soul' - agencies under microscope at inquest into girl’s death

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Class ActSeptember 21

Class Act 2026: All the recipients

4

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North OtagoSeptember 21

Waitaki renters worse off than Aucklanders: report

5

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DunedinSeptember 21

Emails lift lid on shock, horror and praise for South D flood options

Otago

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WānakaSeptember 21

Guardians lament lack of deep lakes funding

The Guardians of Lake Wānaka have expressed “disappointment and concern” the regional council did not commit to a $21 million programme to monitor the degradation of Otago’s deep lakes in its upcoming long-term plan.

WānakaSeptember 21

Interactive, ‘state-of-the-art’ heritage centre tipped for Wānaka

A Wānaka historical society has announced plans for a new “state-of-the-art” heritage centre in the lakeside resort town.

WānakaSeptember 21

Sitting on top of the world

Fin Melville Ives, of Wānaka, competes in the free ski semifinals at The Snow League’s inaugural World Challenge at Cardrona Alpine Resort at the weekend.

North OtagoSeptember 20

Two candidates in Oamaru by-election

The Oamaru ward by-election is a two-horse race.

Charley-Kai John

Editor's Picks

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DunedinSeptember 15

Calls for council action over Dunedin cats

The Dunedin City Council is not doing enough to control cats in New Zealand’s wildlife capital, advocates say.

Grant Miller

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DunedinSeptember 14

‘Humiliation and stress’: Failed builder and Dunedin City Council taken to court over faulty $900k home

Tim Scott

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DunedinSeptember 11

Dunedin hospo boss escapes conviction for street brawl with teen

Rob Kidd

Canterbury

ChristchurchSeptember 21

$100 a cup for the ‘highest-quality coffee you’ll probably ever try’

A Christchurch cafe has this week started selling single cups of coffee for $100 after acquiring some very rare “Geisha” beans from Panama.

ChristchurchSeptember 21

Christchurch club fights to keep liquor licence after man died following heavy drinking session

When a man fell and hit his head during a heavy drinking session celebrating his 70th birthday at the Cashmere Club, the general manager passed him a glass of wine.

SelwynSeptember 21

Labyrinth of botanical treasures more than a ‘plant morgue’

Dr Ines Schönberger looks after Canterbury's Allan Herbarium and its labyrinth of botanical treasures, including more than 800,000 plant specimens.

MarlboroughSeptember 21

Chris Cairns goes back to his roots, opens up about major health emergencies

New Zealand cricket legend Chris Cairns is back home to focus on his family after several health emergencies almost cost him his life.

Paula Hulburt

National

NationalSeptember 21

'She was a lost soul' - agencies under microscope at inquest into girl’s death

A father has told an inquest into the suspected suicide of a 12-year-old New Plymouth girl in June 2017 she was a "little angel"' and a "fun loving kid" whose life got more and more difficult.

NationalSeptember 21

Call for police to ‘front up’ about Labour candidate

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says police need to "explain what is going on", following comments made by the Police Minister about Labour candidate Rakesh Naidoo.

Sam Sherwood of RNZ

NationalSeptember 21

Defence Force ships transit contested Taiwan Strait

NZ ships transited the Taiwan Strait last week, the Defence Force has confirmed, amid tension over the waterway claimed by China and regarded by Taiwan and the US as international waters.

Reuters

NationalSeptember 21

Nuclear-free policy has a cost: Peters

Winston Peters called out those who focus on "national identity" rather than the national interest in his final speech as Foreign Affairs Minister.

Southland

SouthlandSeptember 20

‘Likely not to recover’: Teens in custody after child severely injured

A 19-year-old man and woman have been arrested after a young child suffered a severe injury on Sunday night.

SouthlandSeptember 20

Locals honoured at ceremony

Local pillars of the Invercargill community were honoured at a King’s Birthday investiture ceremony hosted by the Invercargill City Council last week.

Sport

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SportSeptember 21

Butcher ends year with silver medal at world cup final

Finn Butcher has got his mojo back.

Hayden Meikle

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MotorsportSeptember 21

Duncan finishes WMX season in style in Australia

Courtney Duncan grabbed her second podium of the season as the Women’s Motocross Championship wrapped up in Australia at the weekend.

Hayden Meikle

MotorsportSeptember 21

Paddon breaks record at Ashley Forest Rallysprint

Hayden Paddon did what he set out to do at the annual Ashley Forest Rallysprint at the weekend.

RugbySeptember 21

All Blacks captain Savea facing long rehab from shoulder surgery

The All Blacks have given updates on 10 players injured during the four-test series against the Springboks.

Lifestyle

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TravelSeptember 21

Secret wonders in Asia — rats, coffins and caves

These secret wonders often escape mass attention as some are out of reach — too remote or dangerous even for the more adventurous traveller — others are overshadowed by more famous sites or just too bizarre.

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The MixSeptember 18

Pottery retains its lustre

In 1955, a pioneering bookbinder in the Arts and Crafts tradition, Mary Eleanor Joachim (1874-1957), made a significant contribution to the decorative arts collection at Dunedin Public Art Gallery.

The MixSeptember 18

Review: Heart-wrenching meditation on memory, trauma

Poet and academic Siobhan Harvey’s memoir may be a slim volume but that does not lessen its impact.

Elspeth McLean

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The MixSeptember 18

Sweet as spring

Spring brings welcome new possibilities, Penelope Maguire writes.

Business

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BusinessSeptember 21

Christchurch’s Onside buys Assura to expand its operational software platform for agriculture

Christchurch agri-tech company Onside has bought local workflow software business Assura to head into its next phase of growth.

Tim Cronshaw

BusinessSeptember 21

TSB bank warned over cheque fees

TSB has been warned for charging fees on business cheque transactions that were not subject to fees according to its own terms and conditions.

RNZ

BusinessSeptember 19

Greens announce reforms to lower commercial rents, fill empty shops

The Green Party is pledging to restore city centre vibrancy by ensuring market rent reviews for small businesses can lower rents, and letting councils run rental auctions for spaces that have been empty for longer than 12 months.

BusinessSeptember 19

Labour proposes splitting Foodstuffs and Woolworths from their wholesale arms

Labour would force Foodstuffs and Woolworths to run their wholesale operations independently from their retail stores, if elected in November.

RNZ

Fresh

Food & WineSeptember 8

Turning to lighter fare as we go into spring

While winter still has its grips on us, occasional warm days are reminding us that spring is coming.

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Enjoying the day’s catch with family

Alison Lambert

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Lighter, brighter note for spring

Jo Elwin

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Hearty tart for weekend adventures

Sam Sinclair

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Making healthy eating easy

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Gifts of love: Homemade treats perfect for sharing

A passion project that has taken three years to come to fruition is how Allyson Gofton describes “Give”.

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Life is too short to wait for a special occasion

Mark Henderson

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Food & WineSeptember 8

Grilled asparagus and halloumi salad

Rural Life

Rural LifeSeptember 17

Many farmers pessimistic despite decade-high profits

Many farmers are looking at next year's books with pessimism, even dairy, despite profits this year reaching their highest level in a decade, a new survey shows.

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Tourism side-hustle helps pay for biodiversity improvements on East Otago sheep and beef farm

Income from an on-farm glamping business is being used to restore biodiversity on an East Otago farming operation.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Celebrating a conservation project to protect and restore biodiversity for future generations

Farmers are uniting as part of a biodiversity conservation project in East Otago.

Shawn McAvinue

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Rural EventsSeptember 16

Bringing biodiversity back is everyone’s responsibility, ecologist says

Communities need to drive bringing biodiversity back, an ecologist and botanist says.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineSeptember 15

‘Orchard to scoop’ approach recognised nationally

Rebecca Fox

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Masters of fusion — Northern Italy cuisine more diverse than expected

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Wake up your palate from winter hibernation with fresh, zingy ingredients

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Food & WineSeptember 15

Can you eat too much tinned tuna?

World

WorldSeptember 21

German chancellor rules ‘disaster’ in another regional election

The AfD party leads in national opinion polls but has been kept from power by the other main parties' refusal to work with it.

WorldSeptember 21

Australia warns of risks from ageing population, falling birth rates

With immigration slowing, Australia is starting to look down a path already taken by many advanced economies, where deaths have already outnumbered births.

Reuters

WorldSeptember 21

Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber dies

Presley Gerber, the son of US supermodel Cindy Crawford, has died at the age of 27.

Reuters

WorldSeptember 20

Flames, smoke seen near Riyadh airport; Houthis claim attacks on Saudi capital

Yemen's Houthis said they attacked "sensitive" sites in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Saturday with missiles and drones, hours after flames and a large plume of smoke were seen near the city's main airport.

West Coast

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West CoastSeptember 21

Bus reappears on West Coast beach

A whitebaiter’s house bus blown into the Hokitika River this month has now washed up on the bar.

Janna Sherman

South CanterburySeptember 20

Heartbroken families say more will die after workplace safety changes

The coalition government has again changed the workplace health and safety laws, this time to cut red tape and ease compliance costs, but critics say more Kiwis like Timaru timber yard worker Ethyn McTier will die on the job as a result.

Video

DunedinSeptember 21

Dunedin students serve up community hāngi for cultural trip fundraiser

Students from Bayfield High School raising money for a cultural trip put on a community hāngi for parents, peers, and anyone else who wanted a special Monday lunch.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinSeptember 21

Full circle moment: Dunedin band rocks to third place at national Rockquest finals

They might be finishing secondary school, but Smokefree Rockquest national finalists Talking Furniture say they are ready to pour “blood, sweat, and tears into their future.

Laine Priestley

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DunedinSeptember 21

Man injured at Castle St party not a student at the university

The person who was seriously injured on Castle St on Sunday was not an Otago university student and was one of many who were there who was from out of town, the university says

Steve Hepburn

UPDATED

DunedinSeptember 21

Guests allowed back in hotel after ‘toxic’ gas investigated

Emergency services were called to the Scenic Hotel Dunedin City just before 3pm.

Laine Priestley

Opinion

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OpinionSeptember 21

Is a Patearoa writer actually writing or is he using a machine?

Some experts are warning that AI has the power to kill us all, while that self-proclaimed genius Donald Trump says that’s a hoax.

Jim Sullivan

OpinionSeptember 21

I don't need my son to tell me everything

One in five callers to What's Up, Barnardos’ free counselling helpline for children, is under the age of 10.

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OpinionSeptember 21

Cartoonist’s view: September 22

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionSeptember 21

Opinion: Mining detractors should get the basic facts right

The New Zealand Minerals Council chief executive argues "incorrect opinions" have been stated as facts.

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EditorialSeptember 21

A screen test for pre-schoolers

There are many big issues which any government must confront: defence, foreign affairs, trade and investment, emergency management.

Editorial

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OpinionSeptember 20

The pipes, the pipes are calling

There are few sounds more instantly recognisable as the screech and drone of the bagpipes.

Jean Balchin

100 Years Ago

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NewsSeptember 21

Opening a fine edifice

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 20

Missionary gets send-off

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 18

Florida flooded

100 years ago

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NewsSeptember 17

Ship chosen for Yorks’ tour

100 years ago