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BusinessOctober 13

‘It destroyed me’: Decades-old Invercargill motorcycle business goes bust owing more than $500,000

A Southland man says the more than $500,000 collapse of his decades-old family motorcycle business “destroyed” him and got so bad it left him in hospital.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 13

Phosphate mining returns to Otago site after 80 years

Turn right at the big old building, head up and down a few hills, and something is emerging after nearly 80 years of hibernation.

Steve Hepburn

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SouthlandOctober 13

Young girl stripped and assaulted in Invercargill park faces ‘long road ahead’ — mother

A local barber is taking a stand against violence in Invercargill, running a fundraiser to support the young girl who was assaulted in Queens Park last week.

Tayler Mutton

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DunedinOctober 13

Taggers at war: Dunedin woman's van mistakenly torched in feud

A trio of Dunedin taggers set a woman’s graffitied van on fire believing it belonged to a rival artist.

Felicity Dear

Central OtagoOctober 13

Fast-track changes likely if mining decisions unfavourable: Minister

Julie Asher

ChristchurchOctober 13

Costco seeking to fast-track Christchurch store

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SouthlandOctober 13

‘Acting as robbers’: Gore pensioner disgusted bank has no cash

Gemma Sinclair

ODT QuizOctober 13

ODT quiz: October 14

Dunedin

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DunedinOctober 13

Reckless drink-driver convicted over wrong-way Octagon jaunt

A three-time drink-driver who sped the wrong way around the Octagon on a busy summer night was in the midst of an alcoholic relapse, a court has heard

Rob Kidd

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DunedinOctober 13

‘Quite a lot of interest’ as Martin Phillipps’ collection goes to auction

This historic striped guitar could give you The Chills — if you win the bidding war at Proctor Auctions.

John Lewis

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DunedinOctober 13

‘Very big win’: Wellington arts festival comes exclusively to Dunedin

Dunedin being chosen as the first and only place outside of Wellington to host an arts festival dedicated to solo performances is being celebrated as a “very big win” for the city.

Tim Scott

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DunedinOctober 13

Unmarked graves research intended to provide ‘closure’

It is a project with many stories to tell.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

NationalOctober 13

'No sense': Outrage over government order to limit nurse enrolments

2

WorldOctober 13

‘Crisis point’: Violence, sex abuse against young Australians on the rise

3

NationalOctober 13

Scientist slates decision to close food research hub

4

BusinessOctober 13

Business failures hit decade high

5

WorldOctober 13

Cornell University bans frat parties after gang rape allegations

Otago

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Central OtagoOctober 13

Authorities raise roadblocks about Santana’s road plan

A plan by Santana to relocate a public road to make way for its proposed gold mine has been met with strongly-worded objections from two government agencies.

Mary Williams

QueenstownOctober 12

Wind whips up Walter Peak fire hotspots

Hot-spots fanned by strong winds have flared up at the site of the massive vegetation fire on the shore of Lake Wakatipu today.

DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin set for a drenching as cold front bears down

Just when you thought summer was just around the corner, a frigid southerly blast is about to bring heavy rain to eastern Otago — including Dunedin — and snow to inland areas.

John Lewis

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WānakaOctober 12

Wānaka’s economy falling behind: QLDC

Tourism, business diversification and events have been identified as Wānaka seeks the economic activity to support population growth

Ruairi O'Shea

Editor's Picks

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DunedinOctober 3

‘I’ve survived you’ — victim confronts her Dunedin abuser after six-year nightmare

After six years of abuse by her Dunedin partner, his victim told the court: "I refuse to carry the shame of your actions any longer."

Rob Kidd

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DunedinOctober 10

Dunedin teen who used bitcoin to pay for drug shipments ‘liked the money’

Felicity Dear

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North OtagoOctober 5

Otago school at centre of student ‘sextortion’ allegation revealed

Jules Chin

Canterbury

SelwynOctober 13

Drones help track endangered birds

New drone technology is helping conservationists uncover the lives of one of Canterbury’s most endangered birds at Te Waihora/Lake Ellesmere.

ChristchurchOctober 13

Move over Charlie: Christchurch’s most popular dog names revealed

Luna has overtaken Charlie as Christchurch's favourite dog name in 2026.

ChristchurchOctober 13

Review finds marine precinct sale process okay but communication lacking

An Auditor-General review of the controversial $14 million Tauranga Marine Precinct sale to a Christchurch developer has found the council followed an appropriate process and demonstrated it considered value for money.

Ayla Yeoman, local democracy reporter

North CanterburyOctober 13

Fireworks on and off the stage at candidates meeting

An independent candidate was forced to watch from the sidelines as sparks flew at an election meeting in Canterbury on Monday.

David Hill

Election 2026

NationalOctober 13

'No sense': Outrage over government order to limit nurse enrolments

Nurse educators say a government directive to limit nurse enrolments makes "no sense" as pressure builds on the workforce.

NationalOctober 13

ACT promises tax relief for landlords with offset rental losses

The ACT Party has promised to bring forward tax relief for landlords by allowing them to offset rental property losses against other taxable income.

UPDATE

NationalOctober 13

NZ First wants to slow down fast-track for housing, National says it’s already happened

New Zealand First wants to make changes to future fast-track residential approvals, saying there needs to be the necessary roads, pipes, water, wastewater, and other essential service approvals first.

NationalOctober 13

Finance leaders set to debate; Willis hints at future business tax relief

National finance spokesperson Nicola Willis has signalled she is keen in future on some form of business tax relief, potentially alongside a cut to personal tax rates.

Southland

SouthlandOctober 12

Teens charged with murder over Southland child’s death keep identities secret

Two 19-year-olds jointly charged with murder over the death of an Otautau child have made their first High Court appearance.

Tayler Mutton

SouthlandOctober 11

Police seek ‘good Samaritans’ who helped victim of serious Invercargill assault

SouthlandOctober 10

Election 2026 debate: Invercargill

Mike Houlahan

National

NationalOctober 13

Scientist slates decision to close food research hub

A science advocate is describing the decision to close the North Island's FoodHQ research hub as 'problematic' in the long term, as it could stifle NZ's future food innovation and technological developments.

NationalOctober 13

Test results show maths, reading improving

Analysis of more than three million maths and reading tests shows sharp improvement in primary school children's maths and vocabulary skills but their understanding of what they read is in a serious dip.

NationalOctober 13

‘They just botched me’: Kiwi medical tourist can’t get refund

A New Zealand medical tourist whose weight loss operation went wrong in Turkey says her bid to get her money back has hit a wall.

Jimmy Ellingham of RNZ

NationalOctober 13

Opportunity still kingmaker in latest poll

With less than a month until the election, Opportunity is again the kingmaker, the latest poll shows.

Sport

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RugbyOctober 13

Brown putting off making a decision about his future for now

Otago coach Mark Brown has thought about his future beyond this season.

Adrian Seconi

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CricketOctober 13

Duffy and Nicholls named Almanack’s players of the year

Otago’s Jacob Duffy and Cantabrian Henry Nicholls have been named New Zealand Cricket Almanack players of the year.

Adrian Seconi

MotorsportOctober 13

Big season ahead for Teretonga

The flag is about to drop on another big season at Teretonga Park.

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RugbyOctober 12

Otago captain happy to chip in for his mates

Otago captain Christian Lio-Willie has earned a good sit-down.

Adrian Seconi

Lifestyle

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TravelOctober 12

Exalted scenery and wildlife on train journey

Arriving at the Vancouver station and after a whip-smart check-in experience, the bagpipes were in full cry, as Mike a Nova Scotia-born piper serenaded our departure in style, in-front of the gleaming navy blue and gold livery of the carriages

Mike Yardley

EntertainmentOctober 12

Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte dies, age 34

RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr on the popular TV show Breaking Bad, has died aged 34.

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The MixOctober 9

Sweet songs sung fast

Japanese originals Shonen Knife are bringing their upbeat punk-pop south next month, Tom McKinlay reports.

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The MixOctober 9

David Byrne is bringing back wisdom

David Byrne’s new book is Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.

Business

BusinessOctober 13

Business failures hit decade high

There's no sign of the rate of business failure slowing, despite hopes the economy may be inching towards recovery.

BusinessOctober 13

South Island bucks housing trend but sales remain low

The South Island is bucking a national trend of lowering house prices but the number of properties being sold remains low.

BusinessOctober 13

It’s the younger generations versus the boomers, economist says

New Zealand's young people will be frustrated to be asked to pay the bill for increasingly expensive NZ Super while having missed out on things like free education, which older generations benefited from, one economist says.

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BusinessOctober 13

‘There’s just not a lot of demand’: Prime Dunedin office vacancies triple over past year

Vacancies of prime office space in Dunedin have more than tripled over the past year, including four and a-half floors in the CBD an expert says could go unclaimed for some time.

Tim Scott

Rural Life

Rural Life OtherOctober 8

National woos farmer vote with $300m low-cost loans for water storage

National is promising to lend farmers up to $300 million to help them store more water, as it targets the rural vote in this year's election.

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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

Food & Wine

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Food & WineOctober 13

Aussie-inspired snacks for spring

Inspired Cook — Jo Elwin

NationalOctober 13

Scientist slates decision to close food research hub

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Food & WineOctober 13

How to build a perfect salad

Food & WineOctober 13

Summertime eating that is ‘Always Delicious’

World

WorldOctober 13

‘Crisis point’: Violence, sex abuse against young Australians on the rise

Young Australians are being abused and sexually violated at alarming rates, and state governments are being urged to step in and stop the violence.

AAP

WorldOctober 13

Cornell University bans frat parties after gang rape allegations

Cornell University will ban parties and social events at fraternity houses until the end of the academic year, responding to the outcry over an alleged gang rape on campus in 2024.

WorldOctober 13

Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer following surgery

Pope Leo was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer after doctors removed a lower lobe of his right lung in surgery on Tuesday, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin.

WorldOctober 13

Warning Australian house prices will keep sliding for another year

Homes in Australia are forecast to keep getting cheaper for about a year.

AAP

West Coast

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West CoastOctober 12

Quake risk closes second council building

The Westland District Council will not be returning to its earthquake-prone headquarters for the foreseeable future, and another of its public buildings has now also been closed following fresh seismic safety advice.

Janna Sherman

West CoastOctober 12

West Coast leaders wary of spatial plan mandate

West Coast leaders are worried about the cost of the govt's new regional spatial plan requirements when ratepayers have just forked out $10m for the region's new combined district plan.

Vihan Dalal, Local Democracy reporter

Video

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DunedinOctober 13

Unmarked graves research intended to provide ‘closure’

It is a project with many stories to tell.

Matthew Littlewood

LEADER INTERVIEW

NewsOctober 13

Forged in fire and enjoying record numbers at the polls

Some Opposition politicians have been infuriated by the National Party attempting to make the election campaign entirely about tax.

Mike Houlahan

Central OtagoOctober 13

Fast-track changes likely if mining decisions unfavourable: Minister

Mining projects in the Fast Track process had taken on “the form of some constipated bureaucratic beast”, according to the Minister of Resources Shane Jones.

Julie Asher

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DunedinOctober 13

‘Quite a lot of interest’ as Martin Phillipps’ collection goes to auction

This historic striped guitar could give you The Chills — if you win the bidding war at Proctor Auctions.

John Lewis

Opinion

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OpinionOctober 13

Cartoonist’s view: October 14

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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EditorialOctober 13

A government failure to keep us safe

There have been plenty of warnings about the consequences of this government’s funding cuts to science and finally a chicken came home to roost late last week.

Editorial

OpinionOctober 13

Should New Zealand cut foreign aid to fund medicines ‘at home’?

The National Party recently announced a proposal to cut foreign aid budget by 10% in order to increase funding for Pharmac and expand access to medicines.

Dr Emma Anderson

OpinionOctober 13

Business as usual? Macklemore and case of the disappearing public sphere

The ongoing fallout from Macklemore being dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour is arguably the most significant conversation in popular music at the moment.

Mike Holland

OpinionOctober 13

Wilding conifers – where to from here?

Wilding conifers are one of Otago and New Zealand’s most pressing environmental and economic problems.

Richard Bowman

OpinionOctober 12

We need to talk about banks

New Zealand has many structural problems; not the least of which is our banking system.

Gerrard Eckhoff

100 Years Ago

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NewsOctober 13

GG opens Ross Home extension

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 12

Plenty of sunshine . . .

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 11

Liner on homeward leg

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 9

Māori ABs make an impression

100 years ago