A "huge rise" in unwanted pregnancies and sexually-transmitted diseases among Queenstown's youth is the feared outcome of high school pupils being charged for consultations at the Wakatipu Sexual Health and Family Planning clinic, co-ordinator Gaylene Hastie says.
Qantas and Jetstar flights from Australia were still grounded yesterday as the rising Chilean volcanic ash cloud continued to disrupt the carriers' flight paths.
The sale of the Kingston Flyer appears to be edging closer to fruition - and perhaps the announcement of the new owner - with veteran manager of the vintage railway Russell Glendinning in Wellington yesterday acquiring operating licences from the New Zealand Transport Authority.
A sobering first-hand account of the unceasing trauma caused by the Christchurch earthquakes emerged as Queenstown Lakes District Council emergency management officer Brenden Winder told of a city still "smashed to pieces - it stinks and it's broken".
The Ministry of Education-appointed troubleshooter charged with mending a communication breakdown between teachers and senior management at Wakatipu High School (WHS) says the process is seen as valid and is welcomed by all parties.
Te Anau man sparked an Armed Offenders Squad callout on Thursday night after threatening to kill himself with a gun.
An American rail magnate keen to invest in New Zealand's rail network says KiwiRail's decision to spend $500 million on Chinese-built locomotives could have lasting implications for the industry's economy and skill base.
The Department of Conservation "is not at the decision stage yet" over a proposed $170 million tunnel linking Queenstown and Milford Sound, which could cut travel time by two hours.
An announcement on the mystery buyer of the mothballed Kingston Flyer is due on Tuesday, former engine driver and veteran railway manager Russell Glendinning says.
While the reported sale of the mothballed Kingston Flyer to another buyer has put a damper on United States rail consortium Railmark's ambitious plans for a Queenstown-based tourism hub, it has not dented its commitment to other New Zealand rail projects.
The unseasonably warm weather which marked the 2011 autumn has continued into the first month of winter, frustrating Southern Lakes skifield operators as they gear up for the start of the 2011 season.
Michael Hill International Violin Competition competitors (from left) Richard Lin, of Taiwan/the United States; Nadir Khasimov, of Uzbekistan/the US; Stefani Collins, of the US; Sergey Malov, of Russia; Xiang Yu, of China; and Eric Silberger, of the US took to the stage at Queenstown Memorial Hall on Monday night after making round three of the event's semifinals.
Cautious optimism among Queenstown's business fraternity could be a "pretty accurate barometer" for the nation's gradual economic recovery, Clutha-Southland MP Bill English said in a speech to the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce on Friday
Queenstown's annual Gay Ski Week could become the subject of a University of Otago "situational risk" study on gay men's sexual behaviour during major overseas sporting and social events.
After cuts to funding for free youth sexual health clinics in Queenstown, Deputy Prime Minister Bill English is not convinced Government spending in the area is a "priority".
The proposed commercial restoration of historic Dudley's Cottage next to Arrowtown's Chinese miners' village is "the only future" for the building, longtime village resident Don Spary says.
Organisers of yesterday's Wakatipu Ski Club annual fundraising sale are struggling to explain why attendance was down 42% and sales slumped by $40,000 on last year's event.
Remarkables Park owner Alastair Porter says the Queenstown Lakes District Council should "stop embarking on expensive planning litigation" in the wake of a "slanted" council submission against the company's private plan change for the Frankton retail complex.
The Wizard of New Zealand doesn't usually officiate at toilets, but he made an exception yesterday for the new oast house ablutions block at Queenstown's quirky Creeksyde holiday park.
A submission by the Queenstown Lakes District Council on Remarkables Park Ltd's proposed private plan change calls it "weak" and ill-equipped to "prevent poor design outcomes".
