Water answers sought
Water answers sought
If Tarras Water Ltd wants to meet its goal of starting its irrigation project this summer, it needs to work quickly to answer Otago Regional Council questions, councillors say.
Rebecca Fox
ORC rejects wilding tree trust deed
ORC rejects wilding tree trust deed
A charitable trust deed for the Otago Wilding Tree Trust is considered "highly risky" in part by the Otago Regional Council, which will not be joining it.
More work, more staff; surplus too
More work, more staff; surplus too
Work completed by the Otago Regional Council in the past year will create a "better tomorrow" for the region "whether it is one year or 30", chief executive Graeme Martin says in the annual report.
Focus on Kaikorai Stream
Focus on Kaikorai Stream
Discharges into Kaikorai Stream, in Dunedin, are the first to be investigated as the Otago Regional Council looks at stormwater discharges into Otago's streams, lakes and rivers.
Water plan proposals restrictive and unclear, power generators say
Water plan proposals restrictive and unclear, power generators say
New water regulations mean a Project Hayes-type proposal will not be able to go ahead in the future, Meridian Energy consultant planner John Kyle says.
Authorities critical of proposed water quality plan
Authorities critical of proposed water quality plan
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan says he "will not stand" for one set of standards for rural water quality and another set for urban.
Macandrew Bay to get a spring clean
Macandrew Bay to get a spring clean
Milk bottle tops, fishing lines and forgotten crayfish pots - divers have found it all at the bottom of the sea around Otago and believe today's clean-up at Macandrew Bay will be no different.
ORC discontinuing its climate booklet
ORC discontinuing its climate booklet
The Otago Regional Council is about to cease publication of a booklet that provides climate and pasture information.
Oceana Gold, ORC settle bond agreement
Oceana Gold, ORC settle bond agreement
Otago Regional Council's bond fall-out with Oceana Gold has been settled.
New water rules called draconian
New water rules called draconian
From "draconian" to "giant experiment", both sides of the water quality debate expressed their view of the proposed policies yesterday.
Call for 'maverick' council to halt plan change
Call for 'maverick' council to halt plan change
A group of farmers and companies has called for the Otago Regional Council to halt its water quality plan change, saying it is behaving in a "maverick way" and against national and its own regulations.
Dance doyenne recovering after crash
Dance doyenne recovering after crash
Shona Dunlop MacTavish, considered the mother of modern dance in New Zealand, is in a serious but stable condition in Dunedin Hospital after her car and another were in a collision on Saturday.
Night'n Day robbery '10 times more serious'
Night'n Day robbery '10 times more serious'
Police were last night still looking for a person who they say held a store attendant at knifepoint at the Mornington Night'n Day food store, in Dunedin.
$926,000 for ORC interim chamber
$926,000 for ORC interim chamber
The Otago Regional Council yesterday decided to spend nearly $1 million building a temporary council chamber in its Stafford St car park, one councillor describing the project as a "no-brainer".
ORC considers investing in water scheme
ORC considers investing in water scheme
Investment in Otago's irrigation future could come at a price for Otago ratepayers, with annual rate increases of up to 4% a possibility over the next five years.
Drenched Dunedin in for more rain
Drenched Dunedin in for more rain
Heavy rain continues to fall in Dunedin and North Otago, causing surface flooding and forcing more road closures.
Rain easing in the sodden South
Rain easing in the sodden South
Canterbury and Otago could have a few days' reprieve from the rain which has drenched the regions since the weekend.
Green thumbs-up
Green thumbs-up
Children at Mosgiel Central Kindergarten love nothing more than pottering in their garden and this year they were rewarded with the Toroa Award for best conservation work in a school or kindergarten in coastal Otago.
'Huge rewards' from conservation
'Huge rewards' from conservation
Otago Peninsula, with all its flora and fauna, is very special to Moira Parker. Rebecca Fox asks this year's winner of the Coastal Otago Conservation Award about her passion for conservation work.
Working for all interests
Working for all interests
An unusual invertebrate captured the imagination of a roading engineer during a Dunedin highway project. Rebecca Fox talks to Simon Underwood, who has received a special recognition award about juggling a highway development with protecting an important species.