January
• Bowler Sheldon Bagrie-Howley finished runner-up in the singles at the national bowls championships, going down 21-20 to Aiden Takarua.
Little did he know Takarua would be his club mate by the end of the year.
• Sticking with athletic endeavours, the Gore Park Run marked its 100th run.
• Emma Sherie started as the new Gore Library manager.
• Humbucker won the Gore Cup.
• Maruawai College opened as Gore High School and Longford Intermediate combined.
February
• The Mataura pool building was knocked down to be replaced by one of the biggest splash pads in the country.
• The Southern field days at Waimumu got under way for the first time in four years and people came from all over the country keen to explore what was on offer.
The next one was set for 2026.
• Leon Samuels won the Southern Shears.
• Thousands of eels died in the Low Burn Stream east of Gore.
A prosecution over the deaths was set to work its way through the courts.
March
• The 31st cavalcade finished at Waikaia with 11 trails being completed.
• Hokonui marchers won the national U13 and U18 titles in Hamilton.
• The Mataura Clay Target Club managed to get four of its shooters picked for the national team.
• Mataura Valley Milk had its electronic boiler commissioned — the first of its kind in the country.
It was to later win national prizes in engineering awards.
• Bad behaviour in the Mataura library led to the library closing early.
April
• A former principal of St Peter’s College, John Hogue was appointed the presiding member of the school’s board. The school remained in statutory management.
• Lumsden Hotel shut.
• Nicola and Maegan Mitchell were nominated for a songwriting Tui award.
• Lumsden Presbyterian Church was trucked to Arrowtown in a delicate operation.
• The inquest into the death of Gore 3-year-old Lachie Jones started in Invercargill.
May
• St Peter’s College revealed a new Anzac honours board.
• Gore District Council long-serving chief executive Steve Parry moved on after more than 20 years in the chair.
• A meeting at Mataura aired concerns about crime in the town.
• Mel Parsons, of Lyttelton, won the songwriter of the year award.
• Wyndham prop Brad Shaw had a day to remember.
His wife Dana had the couple’s third child, and he went out and played his 200th game for Wyndham after his son piped him on to the pitch. The game ended in a draw.
June
• Hamilton singer Amy Maynard won the main award at the Gold Guitars awards.
Brendon Fairburn flew the home flag and finished second with a harmonica instrumental.
• The second stage of the Kaiwera Downs wind farm got the go-ahead, costing $486million.
• Deborah Lascelles started as the new chief executive at the Gore District Council.
• Albion Rugby Football Club celebrated its 125th anniversary, the senior side won 22-19 in the main game.
July
• Gore rates set to rise 21.4%.
• Mataura constable Brett Dillon smelt cannabis while on foot patrol.
He followed his nose leading to arrests on drugs and possession of firearms charges and a further search warrant in Invercargill.
• The Albion women’s side lost in the final of its competition.
• Mataura Presbyterian Church marked its 150th anniversary.
• Wyndham beat Pioneer 35-19 to win the division one final.
• St Peter’s College principal Tara Quinney resigned.
She won with her oversized orange suit, which was made of linen canvas and was matched with a silk blouse.
August
• The Lachie Jones inquest started again for just under three weeks. Coroner Alexander Ho said he would deliver his findings as soon as he could but did not name a date.
• Former Gore athlete Tori Peeters competed in the javelin at the Paris Olympics but failed to get past qualifying.
• Te Tipua School principal Gareth Scott suffered a heart attack.
• Southland district mayor Rob Scott suggested a merging of councils in the whole Southland area. Ex-High won the premier netball grade.
September
• The whitebait season started but poor weather ruined it for most.
• Gore fire chief Steve Lee acknowledged for 25 years of service, awarded gold star.
• Fonterra set to build a new ultra-high temperature processing cream plant at Edendale expected to create 70 jobs.
• Former Gore man Chris Bone became the commander of HMNZS Te Mana.
October
• Mataura Licensing Trust (MLT) head Horace McAuley given lifetime membership of the NZ Licensing Trust Association.
• Farmers held meetings to keep up moral as wet weather dragged on.
• Mataura Library returned to normal hours after another staff member was hired.
• Contact Energy said its Slopedown wind farm was vital for the country, in an ideal place and would provide power 92% of the time.
• The Mopar national rally attracted 203 cars, nearly half of them from Gore.
• Gore got its own television show, n00b, a story about a leading pupil at a Gore high school who comes out as gay.
November
• Shannon Swain, a former national snooker champion, from Gore, was sentenced to more than two years’ imprisonment after admitting an indecent act of abuse for five years against a young girl.
• The Merino shop’s "Woolma" sheep, which sat outside the shop in Gore, was taken by a couple of tourists and discovered at Christchurch Airport later.
• The council changed its contentious district plan chapter around sites and areas of significance to Maori to a new Ngāi Tahu cultural values chapter.
• A crowd of 1500 watched a charity rugby game in Gore fundraising for Ronald McDonald House.
December
• The Gore District Council announced it was combining with Central Otago District Council to share water operations.
Other councils such as Clutha and Waitaki may join.
• MLT hosed down a proposal by Act New Zealand MP Simon Court to get rid of licensing trusts. A meeting was set up for later this week.
• Sun and a great day out for the family as Gore had another great Santa Parade.
