Lynda van Kempen

Forget the weather forecast - the sun always shines on the day of the Central Otago primary schools athletics.

Registering the lower Nevis Valley as a historic place will add another layer of bureaucracy and more hurdles for those focusing on the valley's gold resources, miners say.

Naseby contains a "dangerous cocktail" of fire hazards and risks which heighten the potential for fire storms similar to those experienced in Victoria.

The Rolling Stones sang about not getting any satisfaction but it could have been a different story if they had put down roots in Central Otago.

Otago's first wind-generated electricity is likely to be produced by the end of this week.

Dunstan Hospital management says the facility needs more beds and funding to cater for a growing population.

Pioneer Generation and the Central Otago District Council are among the opponents of plans to register the lower Nevis Valley as a historic place.

Walkways around Roxburgh will benefit from a fund-raising car rally which attracted hundreds of vehicles and people to the town.

A taste of the rugged conditions encountered by goldminers more than a century ago proved testing for competitors in the national gold-panning championships in Cromwell yesterday as they hunted for elusive flakes of gold during sleet showers.

Bannockburn: "A dream come true" is how support group members describe a respite holiday home being established at Bannockburn for children and adults chronically ill with immune deficiency disorders.

A service will be held at Butchers dam near Alexandra on Saturday to reflect on child abuse and encourage people to "stop turning a blind eye".