Lakes Environmental CEO Hamish Dobbie has written an apology letter on behalf of one of the his employees - an act he says is a first of its kind for the council-controlled organisation.
Treble Cone skifield opens today after snow on Wednesday night left the field's trails covered.
Rain overnight on Wednesday slightly raised the level of Lake Hawea but vast expanses of mud flats remained exposed yesterday, particularly near the head of the lake.
Stealth marketing tactics are being employed by an anonymous protester to highlight the continued lowering of water levels at Lake Hawea by national electricity supplier Contact Energy.
Temperatures in Central Otago are hovering near record levels for midwinter.
Cardrona Ski Resort Ltd has "significant concerns" about the legal status of its private skifield access road should a proposed plan change allow a new village near the Cardrona township.
Skifield workers have turned to Work and Income New Zealand for financial assistance as they struggle to make ends meet while their employers remain closed.
A new village on a terrace above the existing Cardrona township would allow for up to 1000 housing units to be built as part of a council plan change being considered at a Queenstown Lakes hearing in Wanaka.
Southern Lakes skifield operators breathed easier yesterday as temperatures dropped, allowing snowguns to start pumping artificial snow on to ski slopes.
The neighbours of a proposed 20-unit visitor accommodation complex located within the heart of a residential suburban community in Wanaka continue to insist it will be a "large motel."
A 17-unit complex of residential dwellings in Meadowstone, Wanaka, would be "nothing like a motel" if granted resource consent to operate as short-term visitor accommodation, a hearings panel was told yesterday.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council wants to designate a 1122sq m block of land at the corner of Tenby and Connor Sts in Wanaka for use as a works depot.
The Guardians of Lake Hawea are growing increasingly concerned about the lake's low level, which they claim may soon hit emergency status.
Central Otago's mild weather refuses to relinquish its grasp on the Southern Lakes and the lingering effects have caused an unseasonable hangover for skifield operators and their staff.
Wanaka Connexions general manager Tony Collins says the increase in petrol prices is a "double-edged sword" for the bus company.
The continued global surge in oil prices is bringing pain not only to motorists but also to the small independent service stations of heartland New Zealand.
Wanaka hosts the New Zealand snowsports awards ceremony for the first time this evening, confirming the resort's status as the country's favoured destination for snowsports athletes.
A council planner has recommended a set of 10 vacant apartments in Wanaka's residential suburb of Meadowstone not be rezoned for visitor accommodation.
Wanaka holiday home accommodation providers are unique, a Queenstown Lakes District Council plan change hearing was told in Wanaka yesterday.
The Wanaka Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) team was called into action 28 times in the past year, slightly down on its 2006-07 operation tally, members heard at the annual meeting.
