The man who took the mayday cellphone call from two French kayakers found dead on Lake Wakatipu on Monday night says the rescue response was too slow and the deaths should spark debate over bringing the Coastguard to Queenstown Bay.
The man who was probably the last person to see two French kayakers alive says he would be surprised if the friends survived Lake Wakatipu's icy waters for more than 20 minutes.
Queenstown Lakes District Council harbourmaster Marty Black has defended the time it took the search team to find two French kayakers who died on Lake Wakatipu early yesterday.
Adventure Southland has been sent a bill by Kawarau Jet, which answered a mayday call after four Queenstown Resort College students capsized while kayaking on Lake Wakatipu on September 25.
For the second time in a month, a Queenstown English school is "broken" after one of the French kayakers found dead on Lake Wakatipu early yesterday was identified as a student.
The Salvation Army is hailing the "heartwarming" generosity of Frankton and Kelvin Heights residents, who helped fill a van with Christmas supplies during Wednesday night's second annual foodbank drive.
A Ministry of Justice proposal to move provincial court collection units to cities could threaten jobs and leave regions deprived of locally experienced bailiffs and fines staff.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council will lobby the New Zealand Transport Agency in the New Year for more funding, arguing that the Wakatipu's tourism and alpine setting make it a "special" case.
Kawarau Falls receiver KordaMentha says a hotel chain operator will be announced within the next two weeks for the five-star hotel and apartments in stage one of the embattled $1 billion luxury resort, which should be fully operational by March.
Five American pit bull terriers and pit bull crosses were automatically classified as menacing in the Queenstown Lakes district in the 2009-10 financial year - up from none the previous year.
Reusable cloth nappies could make a resurgence in the Queenstown Lakes district if a council bid to get disposable nappies out of landfills gathers enough community and council support.
Environment Court judge has urged submitters opposing Queenstown Lakes District Council's noise control plan change 27A to consider fronting up with an acoustics specialist should a pre-trial hearing take place next year.
The Ministry of Education has received the final draft report into proposed sites for a new Queenstown school.
The owners of the derelict Arthurs Point Tavern are planning to apply for a demolition consent from the Queenstown Lakes District Council in a bid to have the site cleared before Christmas.
Freelance Irish cameraman Leon McCarron (24) stopped over in Queenstown at the weekend as part of his journey from New York to Hong Kong gathering subjects for a documentary on sustainable tourism.
Swimming instructor Garth Fowler last week had a challenge convincing about 60 year 5 and 6 Arrowtown School pupils that the Kawarau River's icy waters were warm enough to jump into, as he took them through an emergency scenario which involved being thrown from the Kawarau Jet.
A good slice of the $10,000 raised at the St Peter's Anglican Church annual market day on Saturday was down to the lure of cake, despite the rain softening up the parish green.
A Wanaka submitter opposed to the Queenstown Lakes District Council draft brothel bylaw says brothels are legal businesses like any other and regulating them differently is an unfair bias.
Wilkin River Jet's claim for more than $130,000 in costs over failed appeals by would-be rival Southern Alps Air Ltd to gain consent to operate commercial jet-boats near Wanaka has been rejected by the Environment Court.
A drunk Australian woman who allegedly bashed her travel companion at a Bannockburn camping ground left her victim stranded then flew to Queensland - just 40 minutes before police issued a border alert.
