Rebecca Fox

Southern rail freight transport has been disrupted as damage caused by waterlogged soils is only just being discovered along Dunedin's rail corridor.

The disappearance of 25% of Otago's unique small fish in the past decade means trying to save those remaining is ''finger-in-the-dyke stuff'', the Department of Conservation warns.

Setting pay rates for a council that has yet to be elected is a bit ''strange'', Otago regional councillor Doug Brown says.

Coastal Otago may have flooded, but it was Central Otago which recorded its wettest June since records began.

A special project team has been set up within the Otago Regional Council to develop its approach to implementing water quality regulation changes.

It is hoped international calls for a ban on fishing around Maui's dolphins will increase pressure on the Government to improve protection of the endangered species, University of Otago Assoc Prof Liz Slooten says.

New Zealand needs to drop its paternal, neocolonial thinking if it wants to combat China's rising influence in the South Pacific, University of Canterbury Associate Prof Anne-Marie Brady says.

When the fire siren went off during his award ceremony, John Bethune could not resist looking at his pager.

Having irrigation investment decisions reliant on the ''whim of the political vote'' cannot work, Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead says.

People with a soft spot or interest in some of Otago's special places are being urged to take a close look at a 10-year strategy governing their management.

Cooks who have despaired of getting a roast chicken and vegetables cooked together to perfection may have had their calls answered by a team of Dunedin designers and engineers.

Investing in Tarras Water Ltd's proposed irrigation scheme is too risky for the Otago Regional Council, its staff say.