Allison Rudd

When Robin McNeill approached an Awarua farmer about leasing a corner of a paddock for a space-tracking station, the farmer was ''incredulous''.

An Invercargill couple refused permission to freedom-camp near Te Anau have not given up.

The establishment of a urupa (cemetery) in Invercargill where Maori can be buried in accordance with traditional customs and protocol has finally given local iwi a place to lay unclaimed bones to rest.

Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt is down but not out after Environment Southland decided yesterday not to contribute $180,000 towards infrastructure costs for the proposed Auckland to Bluff international yacht race.

Financial support from Environment Southland for a planned Auckland to Bluff international yacht race is critical to the event, Invercargill City Council chief executive Richard King says.

Afflicted by a rare disfiguring disorder and an intellectual disability, Alan McDowall could be excused for being unhappy and isolated. But the Invercargill resident is just the opposite - cheerful, outgoing, and determined to continue enjoying life as long as his body allows. Allison Rudd met the inspirational Alan and his devoted parents, Val and Ian.

There is a complicated name for the operation Dunedin spinal surgeon Bruce Hodgson carried out on Alan McDowall - a vascularised fibula strut graft.

The Bluff resident who put forward the idea of an Auckland to Bluff international yacht race is to be paid a $25,000 ''rights fee'', the budget for the inaugural race shows.

A controversial proposal to build a highway linking Haast to Milford Sound via the Hollyford Valley should be supported in principle by the Southland District Council, council chief executive Dave Adamson recommends.

Southland District councillors have decided they do not have enough information to indicate support for a proposed highway linking Haast to Milford Sound via the Hollyford Valley.

The failings and poor decision-making of Easy Rider skipper Rewai Karetai are highlighted in a damning report into the sinking of the fishing vessel in Foveaux Strait last year, which left eight people dead.

How a young purebred husky came to be wandering lost and injured in the Catlins remains a mystery, but the kindness of strangers has seen the dog saved from death.

Just a minute is enough to get Fiordland tourism promoters excited.

It is time for Southlanders collectively to think about building water storage reservoirs to prepare for future dry spells such as the one being experienced, Federated Farmers Southland provincial president Russell MacPherson says.

More Southland rivers have reached severe or significant low flows, but Environment Southland has held off convening its water shortage response group.

Invercargill project manager Nathan Klein has found an innovative way to keep an eye on the job.

Southland farmers and local authorities are hanging out for rain as river levels across the region continue to drop and smaller tributaries dry up.