8.6% rates rise flagged
8.6% rates rise flagged
Maniototo ratepayers are facing a possible 8.6% increase in the ward component of their rates bill, but community board members are blaming central Government.
Sarah Marquet
Firefighters do battle
Firefighters do battle
Teams of firefighters from as far afield as Christchurch and Bluff battled it out in Cromwell on Saturday for top honours in the annual Otago Southland Provincial Fire Brigades waterways competition.
Great turnout for show
Great turnout for show
More entertainment and "great weather" may have been responsible for the "above average" turnout at the 115th Central Otago A&P Show in Omakau on Saturday, according to show committee president Geoff Clouston.
Trail fund change agreed
Trail fund change agreed
The Vincent Community Board has agreed to reclassify funding it had already approved for the Roxburgh Gorge Cycle Trail Trust so the money can be used for purposes other than those originally intended.
Stuck truck delays start on Clutha River gold-dredging project
Stuck truck delays start on Clutha River gold-dredging project
"There's 10 lifetimes' worth of gold in there," gold miner Danny Walker said yesterday on his way to check the progress of a dredge his company was launching into the Clutha River just below the Roxburgh Dam.
Losses not all bad for orchardists
Losses not all bad for orchardists
Despite crops suffering heavy losses because of the recent rain, Central Otago orchardists remain relatively upbeat, but warn the local market may be affected.
Cromwell crash victims named
Cromwell crash victims named
The two people who died as a result of a crash at the intersection of SH8B and SH6 in Cromwell last week have been named.
Epic 'Smiles' bid to bring relief
Epic 'Smiles' bid to bring relief
Seven years ago Alvaro Neil (44), of Oviedo, Spain, quit his job as a lawyer, told his girlfriend "don't wait", packed a clown costume and set off on his bicycle for Africa, and then the rest of the world, with an aim to bring a smile to the faces of those he thought needed it most.
Abandoned pups now in demand
Abandoned pups now in demand
During the past week, Alexandra SPCA inspector Helen Saunders has been inundated with offers of homes "everywhere between Auckland and Invercargill" for the puppies left to die in a rubbish bin beside Lake Dunstan.
Firing shots in camp ground 'blatantly stupid'
Firing shots in camp ground 'blatantly stupid'
The actions of two German tourists have been described by police as "blatantly stupid" after they were found shooting a slug gun in a popular freedom camping area.
Residents occupy cycle path
Residents occupy cycle path
Opposition to placement of the Roxburgh Gorge cycle trail flared yesterday when a protest camp was set up across the route.
Lower speed limit sought for intersection
Lower speed limit sought for intersection
Even before the fatal crash at the intersection of State Highways 6 and 8B at Cromwell on Thursday, the New Zealand Transport Agency was in the process of cutting the speed limit from 100kmh to 80kmh.
Community house site clearance
Community house site clearance
Work is under way to clear the site where the Alexandra Community House will be built.
Church plans given approval
Church plans given approval
The Central Otago District Council has granted consent for a 114-year-old Ophir church to be used as a shop and later as travellers' accommodation.
Cavalcade monitoring fire risk
Cavalcade monitoring fire risk
Organisers of Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust's cavalcade are monitoring the fire risk but say the event will go ahead.
Village concept becomes subdivision
Village concept becomes subdivision
The Central Otago District Council has granted resource consent for a section of Molyneux Estate to be changed from the intended retirement or lifestyle village concept into a conventional subdivision with 40 sections.
Family visits site of collision
Family visits site of collision
The family of Chin-Yuan Chang (29), of Taiwan, who died after the vehicle he was driving collided with a courier van at the intersection of SH8B and SH6 in Cromwell last week, yesterday visited the intersection and held a special Buddhist ceremony.
Puppies not dumped in bin, SPCA now believes
Puppies not dumped in bin, SPCA now believes
The story of nine puppies left to die in a rubbish bin by Lake Dunstan in Clyde which gained extensive media coverage last month, may have been just that - a story, and a tall one at that.
Rain damages Central fruit crops
Rain damages Central fruit crops
About 60% of cherries still to be picked in some parts of Central Otago have been ruined because of recent heavy rainfall, growers say.
Rocks fall on to road after rain
Rocks fall on to road after rain
A section of Fruitgrowers Rd in Clyde has been closed as a precaution after rocks fell on to it at the weekend.