Vaughan Elder

A growing nanotechnology industry has the potential to add ''billions'' of dollars to the New Zealand economy if we play our cards right.

Four people rescued after a boat capsized off Taieri Mouth yesterday probably owe their lives to a radio operator at Port Otago who overheard their mayday call, search and rescue co-ordinator Senior Sergeant Brian Benn says.

The company running Forsyth Barr Stadium hopes to make a ''significant sum of money'' from the introduction of charges for car parking outside the stadium.

Tenants are being urged to lodge their bond forms as figures show Dunedin tenants and landlords are owed more than $3 million in bond payments.

Images of Dunedin's coastline taken from a high-tech camera aboard the International Space Station are giving scientists a better of understanding of why the waters off Otago Peninsula are so rich in marine life.

Is it a good time to buy? How much do I need to save? Will I be able to get a loan? These are all common questions for those thinking about buying their first home. Otago Daily Times reporter and recent first-home buyer Vaughan Elder spoke to those who work with those entering the property market in an effort to answer these questions and find out how some of the frequent pitfalls can be avoided.

The Otago University Debating Society has announced itself as a force to be reckoned with after its top team made the top four of this year's World Universities Debating Championship in Berlin yesterday (NZ time).

The implications of a boom in the number of students securing their education online will not spare Dunedin's tertiary institutions and they will need to ''sharpen their act'' if they want to continue to thrive.

The growing gulf between the number of women and men at polytechnics and universities shows the secondary education system is continuing to fail boys, University of Otago scholar Emeritus Prof Jim Flynn says.

Care workers at Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO) say a decision to dump the organisation as a provider for home-based care services has left them and their clients facing an uncertain future.

Catching a massive 15.9kg (35lb) salmon in the Waitaki River earlier this week capped of a ''spectacular'' day of fishing for Mosgiel man Merv Dickison.

It was a hive of activity at Wairoa Scout Camp on Saturday as Whare Flat Folk Festival attendees set themselves up for four days of folk-fuelled fun.

While most New Zealanders were Christmas shopping or unwrapping presents, Dunedin man Douglas Clark was lending a helping hand in Samoa in the wake Cyclone Evan.

Having visiting the area since he was a boy, Dunedin man Bryan Young reckons Maniototo settlement Patearoa is the perfect place to relax and unwind off the beaten track.

Bargain-hunters in Dunedin yesterday made the most of cooler weather and hit the shops in droves for traditional Boxing Day sales.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly deliberately setting fire to a Mosgiel house on Christmas night.

Dunedin police say the Yuletide spirit was lacking in the city on Christmas Day, with officers dealing with a disappointing amount of criminal activity.