After more than eight hours of debate, discussions and negotiations, the Waitaki District Council came full circle yesterday, setting a 1.7% rate rise for next financial year - exactly where it was at the start of the rates meeting.
Waitaki residents are being asked to send a clear message to the Southern District Health Board by turning out in their thousands for a protest march opposing any cuts in funding to the Oamaru Hospital and its health services.
A $17.5million loan by the Waitaki District Council to help fund a 10,000ha expansion to a North Otago irrigation scheme should be available for the North Otago Irrigation Company to uplift after Wednesday.
''We're not going to capitulate,'' was the message yesterday from Waitaki District Health Services deputy chairman Ken Scott over a proposed 5% cut to health funding for the Waitaki district and Oamaru Hospital.
Two public meetings have been organised in Oamaru this week to tell people about smart meters, which will be introduced for North Otago electricity consumers from next month.
A Yorkshire couple were on the "big OE" from England when they passed through Hampden and decided to put down roots and enjoy a good lifestyle by the sea.
Two rare birds have been spotted near the Kakanui River mouth, heartening a group working to restore the Kakanui catchment.
The Waitaki District Council is to have another go at its poker machines and TAB venues policy when changes it made from its first round meant the public had to get another say.
The cause of a power pole fire that spread to vegetation on the outskirts of Weston yesterday is being investigated.
Tax incentives to encourage building upgrades and the risk of criminal prosecution if buildings collapse are two issues raised over proposed legislation on earthquake-prone buildings.
Savings made after reviews of the way the Oamaru water and sewage treatment plants are managed by the Waitaki District Council will be passed on to ratepayers, who will benefit by about $25 a year each from next year.
People camping and launching boats at the Ohau C camping reserve on Lake Benmore will continue to pay separate fees and cannot use fees paid to the Waitaki District Council for other Waitaki lakes sites and boat ramps.
One of North Otago's landmark properties, the Moeraki Boulders Estate, is for sale with a price tag of $7 million.
Extra funding for the Alps 2 Ocean cycle trail will go towards improving safety on the 320km-long route through the Waitaki and Mackenzie districts.
The relevance of a group opposed to changes to a minimum flow in the Waitaki River was both questioned and defended during an Environment Canterbury hearing in Oamaru yesterday.
Police are investigating the unexplained death of a 47-year-old man in Oamaru.
Network Waitaki was hit with a double whammy on its power lines network over the past two days - first high winds and then snow.
A High Court decision may determine whether Waitaki hydro-electric power stations can be guaranteed water after 2025.
An English rugby player injured in a serious crash in the Hakataramea Valley in May arrived back home yesterday after a ''bloody amazing'' recovery to be greeted at Heathrow Airport by up to 20 friends and relatives.
A 1080 poison drop to kill rabbits has been carried out by the Otago Regional Council over almost 1000ha on four properties in the Macraes area.