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

DunedinOctober 30

Erosion threat to close section of popular Dunedin beach

A 700m stretch of Dunedin’s main beach will be closed for two months in the lead-up to Christmas in a bid to tackle damaging erosion.

DunedinOctober 30

Uber driver’s sexual advances left female passenger feeling ‘like prey’

An Uber driver who made sexual advances on two female passengers left one of them feeling "like prey", a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

QueenstownOctober 30

One dead after Kawarau Gorge crash

A person is dead after a crash in the Kawarau Gorge linking Cromwell and Queenstown this afternoon.

DunedinOctober 29

‘Time bomb waiting to explode’: Delusional killer beat Dunedin man to death with golf club in suburban street

A Dunedin man beat his victim to death with a golf club, believing he was auditioning for a role as a killer for the Secret Service, a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Arrest warrant issued for disgraced Dunedin nurse

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

SouthlandOctober 29

First no cash — now card not accepted in Southland bank’s ATM

Tayler Mutton

SUBSCRIBER

Central OtagoOctober 29

‘We are terrified’: Neighbours demand Central Otago miner buy their $6.2m dream home

Julie Asher

ODT QuizOctober 29

ODT quiz: October 30

Dunedin

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Otago prison officers had to drag violent prisoner off colleague in yard assault

A man serving an indefinite jail term has been found guilty of assaulting an Otago prison officer – the latest in a string of violence behind bars.

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Beloved dinosaur slide could be born again using high-tech scan

Retaining Dunedin’s beloved but ailing dinosaur slide could cost $100,000, the city council says while a larger whale is set to be built.

Steve Hepburn

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Referendum will be held on DCC voting system

The voting system to elect the Dunedin City Council will be determined by the public in a 2028 referendum, it has been confirmed.

Grant Miller

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Precarious plight of yellow-eyed penguin captured in Dunedin film-maker’s documentary

A 21-year-old Dunedin film-maker has cast his eye on the plight of the yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) in the hope more people join the charge to save it.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

NationalOctober 30

'A lot of scars': Young girl attacked in Auckland park could be out of hospital soon

2

NationalOctober 30

Surgeon fears service could ‘entirely collapse’ amid staffing shortage

3

Central OtagoOctober 30

Trio arrested after three assaulted in Clyde

4

NationalOctober 30

Watch live: Future of Media debate

5

DunedinOctober 30

Uber driver’s sexual advances left female passenger feeling ‘like prey’

Otago

Central OtagoOctober 30

Trio arrested after three assaulted in Clyde

Police are appealing for more information after arresting three people over an assault in Clyde.

John Lewis

SUBSCRIBER

2.09 PM

Central OtagoOctober 30

No pause on dumping of human waste at Lauder while ORC reviews consent

The Otago Regional Council will review the conditions of the consent it issued allowing human waste to be dumped on Central Otago farmland.

SUBSCRIBER

Central OtagoOctober 29

Local Bill best option for Manuherekia minimum flow rate: council legal opinion

Legal advice supported a local bill as the best way to achieve a legislated minimum flow for the Manuherekia River, a report to Wednesday’s Central Otago District Council says.

Julie Asher

SUBSCRIBER

WānakaOctober 29

Call for lakes research and monitoring programme to be included in long-term plan

Wai Wānaka is calling for the deep water lakes research and monitoring programme to be included in the Otago Regional Council’s long-term plan consultation document.

Evie Sinclair

Editor's Picks

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 28

Fall of a beauty queen: Pageant runner-up involved in ugly Octagon assault, luxury hotel rip-off

A former pageant queen racked up a $2700 bill at a five-star Queenstown hotel then scarpered without paying, a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

DunedinOctober 28

‘Seriously dangerous’: Warning copycat Tunnel Beach jumps will end in tragedy

Steve Hepburn

SUBSCRIBER

WānakaOctober 27

‘Dressed like they’re working in a strip club’: Wānaka gym owner hits back at ‘sexist’ review

Ruairi O'Shea

Canterbury

ChristchurchOctober 30

Prisoner to be disciplined after lighting fire in Christchurch cell

A prisoner will be disciplined by Corrections after lighting a fire in his cell at Christchurch Men's Prison.

ChristchurchOctober 30

Nurse Maude inspiring young people to enter the healthcare sector

Canterbury home care provider Nurse Maude has gifted a book about healthcare heroes to primary schools across Christchurch to inspire the next generation and mark the organisation’s 130th anniversary.

South CanterburyOctober 30

Second Mackenzie solar farm pauses plans

A second solar farm planned for the Mackenzie District has voluntarily suspended its fast-track application, following an earlier suspension from another developer over environmental concerns.

Claire Taylor, Local Democracy reporter

ChristchurchOctober 30

City council pays $1250 for Māori spell check

Christchurch City Council paid $1250 to a private company to check the spelling of Māori park names instead of using its own expert staff.

Raphael Franks

Election 2026

NationalOctober 30

Otago Uni expert says ‘pretty strong correlation’ between govt changes and lower enrolment rate

Dunedin electoral law expert Andrew Geddis says there's no reason not to believe a law change is responsible for the voter enrolment rate slipping below 2023 levels.

NationalOctober 30

Watch live: Future of Media debate

All seven main political parties take the stage tonight for the News Publishers Association’s Future of Media debate.

NationalOctober 30

Greens want greater transparency on state of drinking water

The Greens say while some councils including Gore, Waimate, Selwyn and Ashburton regularly publish their drinking water data online, many do not.

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 29

Transport concerns just keep trucking

A global fuel crisis continues to loom large over parties' transport policies.

Ruby Shaw

Southland

SouthlandOctober 30

Law change impacting non-elected members ‘disappointing’: Deputy mayor

The removal of voting rights for non-elected council committee members has been met with disapproval from Invercargill’s deputy mayor.

Matthew Rosenberg

SouthlandOctober 29

Hopelessly lost: Seal pup found wandering 50km from the beach

SouthlandOctober 29

Ship boiler blowback highlights risks of familiar work becoming unfamiliar

National

NationalOctober 30

'A lot of scars': Young girl attacked in Auckland park could be out of hospital soon

The father of a young child who was attacked at an Auckland park last weekend says she is conscious "but not much more than that", and should be released from hospital in the next couple of days.

NationalOctober 30

Surgeon fears service could ‘entirely collapse’ amid staffing shortage

A doctor struggling to cope with staffing levels at Nelson Hospital says he and his colleagues fear no one is listening to them.

NationalOctober 30

Man found dead at North Auckland beach identified

A man found dead at a North Auckland beach has now been identified by the police.

NationalOctober 30

Bus stop attack: US student left with 'catastrophic and ultimately fatal wound'

The only mistake an American PhD student made moments before he was fatally attacked was stopping at a bus stop, Crown lawyers say.

Sport

GolfOctober 30

Cooper Moore chasing history at amateur champs

Canterbury golfer Cooper Moore is looking to continue a memorable year by becoming the first Kiwi to win the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.

Sam Coughlan

CricketOctober 30

Heat plays into batters’ hands in Christchurch two-day premiership

A summer of runs may beckon for Christchurch club cricketers as the unseasonably warm weather leads to a plethora of high scores.

Sam Coughlan

SUBSCRIBER

CricketOctober 29

Otago crush Canterbury — a timeless headline

Gold came first. Cricket was a close second.

Adrian Seconi

SUBSCRIBER

RugbyOctober 29

Draft day: how the Highlanders filled out their squad

Many Super Rugby fans want to see a draft — as it turns out, there already is one. Sort of.

Lifestyle

SUBSCRIBER

Home & GardenOctober 29

Change in the arboretum

In Latin, arbor means “tree,” while - ētum refers to “a place of.” Together, they form the word arboretum, meaning “a place of trees”.

Zane Gray, Geographic and Arboretum Collection curator

SUBSCRIBER

Home & GardenOctober 29

Albert Town cabin built on a budget is full of natural and recycled materials

An award-winning cabin beside the Clutha River at Albert Town combines handcrafted details and cutting-edge construction methods.

Kim Dungey

NationalOctober 29

Hollywood actor Cliff Curtis pleads guilty to drink-driving charges

Kiwi Hollywood actor Cliff Curtis has pleaded guilty to drink-driving charges.

SUBSCRIBER

EntertainmentOctober 28

Play a deep dive into the realities of political life and the compromises it calls for

Dunedin actor and director Lara Macgregor will take to the stage as former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard this month. Rebecca Fox talks to the woman behind the play  Julia, Joanna Murray-Smith.

Rebecca Fox

Business

BusinessOctober 30

Lower mortgage rates helping offset fuel price hikes

The cost of living for the average household has eased marginally as falls in mortgage rates partly offset more expensive petrol.

SUBSCRIBER

BusinessOctober 29

Plastic fantastic certification for Dunedin manufacturing firm

You could say it’s fantastic for their plastic.

Sally Rae

BusinessOctober 29

Dreamliner here, but no nap beds

Skynest, a new lie-flat bed product for economy customers, was originally scheduled to launch in December

RNZ

BusinessOctober 29

Wilson Parking warns of overdue parking text scam

Wilson Parking is warning of fraudulent text messages asking for payment of an overdue parking notice, and says anybody receiving one should not click on any links contained in the message.

Rural Life

DairyOctober 29

Improving demand boosts milk price forecast

Fonterra has lifted its forecast farmgate milk price for the current season by 25 cents.

RNZ

SUBSCRIBER

DairyOctober 28

Eastern Southland dairy farmers collect supreme award as they seek to progress

Eastern Southland contract milker Jippy Singh is using his recent award success as fuel to take the next step in his dairy industry career.

Shawn McAvinue

SUBSCRIBER

HorticultureOctober 28

Orchard workers arrive to good-looking fruit crops set up by favourable spring conditions in Central Otago

The season has been favourable so far but it may face a blight of rising freight costs, tighter retail margins and a staff accommodation shortage, Central Otago fruit growers say.

Shawn McAvinue

SUBSCRIBER

Red MeatOctober 28

Sodden paddocks spike sheep nut sales in the South

A soggy start to spring sparked a record-breaking sheep nut sale spike in the South, a Gore stock feed manufacturer says.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

Food & WineOctober 27

Healthier and more equitable food system needed from political parties

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Cheddar, potato and caramelised onion focaccia

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Grilled asparagus, melted curds and frozen lemon

In Season — Alison Lambert

SUBSCRIBER

Food & WineOctober 27

Harvesting hops at night to enhance the flavour

Beer — Ric Oram

World

WorldOctober 30

Bayer wins Roundup cancer trial as $7.25b settlement awaits

Bayer has won a trial over claims by three women that its Roundup weedkiller caused their cancer, while awaiting a broader ruling from a separate court on the company's $US7.25 billion effort to settle other Roundup cases.

Reuters

WorldOctober 30

Life without parole for mushroom murderer after appeal fails

Australian mushroom murderer Erin Patterson has lost her appeal and instead been re-sentenced to life behind bars without parole for her "cold and calculated" offending.

AAP

WorldOctober 29

Spain in mourning amid grim search for train victims

Spain has declared three days of national mourning, as the death toll climbed after the second major collision involving a high-speed train this year.

Reuters

WorldOctober 29

Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart dies at 86

Sir Patrick Stewart, an accomplished stage actor who achieved global stardom as the erudite Captain Jean-Luc Picard in TV's Star Trek: The Next Generation has died, aged 86.

Reuters

West Coast

West CoastOctober 29

WorkSafe seeks witnesses to ‘serious incident’ where teens plunged 12m to ground from Ferris wheel

A teenager has had nightmares since watching her friend fall 12m from a Ferris wheel at a West Coast agricultural show after a seat broke.

West CoastOctober 29

Rising riverbed risks Franz Josef disaster

A leading NZ hydrologist says Franz Josef is only one flood away from disaster as the Waiho (Waiau) Riverbed continues to rise at an alarming rate.

Vihan Dalal, Local Democracy reporter

Video

DunedinOctober 29

‘Time bomb waiting to explode’: Delusional killer beat Dunedin man to death with golf club in suburban street

A Dunedin man beat his victim to death with a golf club, believing he was auditioning for a role as a killer for the Secret Service, a court has heard.

Rob Kidd

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Third code of conduct breach sits ‘perfectly well’ with intention to resign: Ong

Embattled councillor Benedict Ong says his third code of conduct breach sits “perfectly well” with his apparently imminent resignation.

Ruby Shaw

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Leak before reading: Ong wastes no time sharing confidential report into poor behaviour

Serial leaker Benedict Ong did not wait to read the latest confidential report into his damaging conduct before handing two copies of it to the Otago Daily Times.

Ruby Shaw

SUBSCRIBER

DunedinOctober 29

Engines rev up for the 1/8th Mile Drag race

Drivers young and old felt the need for speed at the Mosgiel 1/8th Mile drag race at Dukes Rd on Thursday evening.

Matthew Littlewood

Opinion

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionOctober 30

Cartoonist’s view

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

OpinionOctober 29

The centre (right & centre left) is dead, long live the centre

The current election may be marking a clear water-shed in the minds of the community.

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionOctober 29

Vote for what you really want

With only one week to go (thank goodness), there is a lot of chatter about how to vote strategically.

Metiria Stanton Turei

OpinionOctober 29

Say a little prayer for our politicians, and their constituents

For a long time, and even under MMP, we have switched repeatedly between the major political parties.

Faith & Reason

SUBSCRIBER

EditorialOctober 29

The dilemma of if not now, when?

Editorial

SUBSCRIBER

OpinionOctober 29

Cartoonist’s view

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

100 Years Ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 29

Champs to take on Victoria regatta

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 28

More land for Port Chalmers

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 27

Games at the Brook

100 years ago

SUBSCRIBER

NewsOctober 26

Otago four wins Australian national

100 years ago