ODT.co.nz | Otago Daily Times | Latest South Island News

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QueenstownOctober 12

Fast-track meeting hears 11,000 out-of-zone new homes proposed

A town-hall meeting in Arrowtown, organised to discuss community concerns with a swathe of fast-track housing applications in the Wakatipu Basin, came dangerously close to turning into a political debate.

Tracey Roxburgh

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DunedinOctober 12

Landlord ‘basically laughed at’ for requesting help from bailiff to boot out ‘extreme’ tenant

A Dunedin landlord is frustrated he cannot get his problematic tenant evicted because the only local bailiff is away.

Felicity Dear

NationalOctober 13

‘They just botched me’: Kiwi medical tourist can’t get refund

A New Zealand medical tourist whose weight loss operation went wrong in Turkey says her bid to get her money back has hit a wall.

Jimmy Ellingham of RNZ

DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin set for a drenching as cold front bears down

Just when you thought summer was just around the corner, a frigid southerly blast is about to bring heavy rain to eastern Otago — including Dunedin — and snow to inland areas.

John Lewis

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DunedinOctober 12

Lawn-lovers mowing down the competition

John Lewis

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DunedinOctober 12

Ambition to pursue an idea wins Otago student major Antarctic scholarship

John Lewis

SouthlandOctober 12

Teens charged with murder over Southland child’s death keep identities secret

Tayler Mutton

ODT QuizOctober 12

ODT quiz: October 13

Dunedin

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DunedinOctober 12

Southern urology situation ‘unsustainable’

The government health body has confirmed there are only three public urologists in the Southern health district, as claims of a health crisis continue.

Matthew Littlewood

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DunedinOctober 12

Cash, clothes and coarse videos — first Dunedinite sentenced for stalking

A Dunedin stalker who showered his ex-partner with cash, gifts and videos of him “shaking his buttocks” left his victim feeling trapped in her own home.

Rob Kidd

DunedinOctober 12

Serious injuries after person trapped between cars in Dunedin carpark

A person has been seriously injured after reportedly becoming trapped between two cars in a central Dunedin car park this morning.

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DunedinOctober 12

Dunedin man wins battle with Wilson Parking over ‘mystery’ address

A Dunedin man has won his battle with Wilson Parking over his wife being issued an $85 ticket for a street that does not exist, but will be thinking twice about parking there again.

Matthew Littlewood

Latest News

1

WorldOctober 13

Eight hurt in supermarket stabbings in Korea

2

NationalOctober 13

‘They just botched me’: Kiwi medical tourist can’t get refund

3

NationalOctober 13

Opportunity still kingmaker in latest poll

4

BusinessOctober 13

Banking watchdogs ramp up AI scrutiny

5

NationalOctober 13

‘Rotten culture’: Minister criticises council that allowed sex offender to teach

Otago

QueenstownOctober 12

Wind whips up Walter Peak fire hotspots

Hot-spots fanned by strong winds have flared up at the site of the massive vegetation fire on the shore of Lake Wakatipu today.

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WānakaOctober 12

Wānaka’s economy falling behind: QLDC

Tourism, business diversification and events have been identified as Wānaka seeks the economic activity to support population growth

Ruairi O'Shea

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QueenstownOctober 12

New QLDC boss looks to make use of Wellington experience

If James Stevenson-Wallace was not running the Queenstown Lakes District Council, he reckons he would be moving earth, cultivating plants and helping them grow.

Guy Williams

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Central OtagoOctober 12

High school sweethearts celebrate 65 years of marriage

High school sweethearts Murlyn and Garth McCombe celebrated 65 years of marriage with family and friends at Highland Motorsport Park in Cromwell this week, the milestone marked with cake, loved ones, and a letter from the King.

Carys Trotter

Editor's Picks

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DunedinOctober 3

‘I’ve survived you’ — victim confronts her Dunedin abuser after six-year nightmare

After six years of abuse by her Dunedin partner, his victim told the court: "I refuse to carry the shame of your actions any longer."

Rob Kidd

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DunedinOctober 10

Dunedin teen who used bitcoin to pay for drug shipments ‘liked the money’

Felicity Dear

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North OtagoOctober 5

Otago school at centre of student ‘sextortion’ allegation revealed

Jules Chin

Canterbury

North CanterburyOctober 13

Fireworks on and off the stage at candidates meeting

An independent candidate was forced to watch from the sidelines as sparks flew at an election meeting in Canterbury on Monday.

David Hill

ChristchurchOctober 13

Investigation into stadium rezoning

Minister of RMA Reform Chris Bishop has launched an investigation into the planning rules at Christchurch’s former Apollo Projects Stadium site.

ChristchurchOctober 12

Electric Avenue music festival to release an extra 4000 tickets

Electric Avenue will release an additional 4000 tickets for its previously sold-out festival — but they will only go to people living in Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri.

SelwynOctober 12

Crime cameras to be installed in Canterbury town

Crime cameras will be installed on the highest building on the main street of a Canterbury town.

Daniel Alvey

Election 2026

LEADER INTERVIEW

NewsOctober 13

Seymour trumpets Act’s ‘excellent progress’

Act New Zealand has risen to new heights in the past three years, literally and figuratively.

Mike Houlahan

NationalOctober 13

Opportunity still kingmaker in latest poll

With less than a month until the election, Opportunity is again the kingmaker, the latest poll shows.

NationalOctober 13

Former National health minister slams party's 'punitive' beneficiary drug testing policy

A former National minister has come out against the party's policy to drug test beneficiaries, saying it stigmatises a struggling group.

NationalOctober 12

Greens promise 284,000 jobs with $6b economic plan

The Green Party says it will create 284,000 jobs over four years as part of its nearly $6 billion economic development plan.

Southland

SouthlandOctober 11

Police seek ‘good Samaritans’ who helped victim of serious Invercargill assault

Police investigating a serious assault on a minor in Invercargill want to speak to a couple of “good Samaritans” who picked the victim up and took her home.

SouthlandOctober 10

Election 2026 debate: Invercargill

Mike Houlahan

SouthlandOctober 9

Popular seaside campground at risk of staying closed for summer

Matthew Rosenberg

National

NationalOctober 13

‘Rotten culture’: Minister criticises council that allowed sex offender to teach

Erica Stanford says she long had grave concerns about the Teaching Council.

RNZ Checkpoint

NationalOctober 13

Auckland mayor says rugby train delays not an infrastructure problem

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has hit back at comments from Eden Park boss Nick Sautner after train delays left hundreds waiting to get home from an All Blacks game.

RNZ Digital reporters

NationalOctober 13

‘Humiliating’: Clark slams NZ for abstaining from pandemic vote

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark has slammed New Zealand's abstention on a vote on global pandemic preparedness at the UN, describing it as "humiliating".

Niva Chittock, Jo Moir and Lauren Crimp of RNZ

NationalOctober 13

Diabetic Kiwis could live longer using continuous glucose monitoring, study shows

Thousands of Kiwis needing intensive insulin therapy could live longer with wider use of real-time continuous glucose monitoring tech, a new study has found.

Pokere Paewai of RNZ

Sport

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RugbyOctober 12

Otago captain happy to chip in for his mates

Otago captain Christian Lio-Willie has earned a good sit-down.

Adrian Seconi

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CricketOctober 12

Otago opening Super Smash season in Alexandra

You cannot beat Central Otago in the summer time.

Kayla Hodge

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GolfOctober 12

St Clair men win dramatic Otago pennant title

Hayden Meikle

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SportOctober 12

Double bronze for Dunedin’s Deans

Dunedin Olympian Caitlin Deans has done the double.

Kayla Hodge

Lifestyle

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TravelOctober 12

Exalted scenery and wildlife on train journey

Arriving at the Vancouver station and after a whip-smart check-in experience, the bagpipes were in full cry, as Mike a Nova Scotia-born piper serenaded our departure in style, in-front of the gleaming navy blue and gold livery of the carriages

Mike Yardley

EntertainmentOctober 12

Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte dies, age 34

RJ Mitte, who played Walter White Jr on the popular TV show Breaking Bad, has died aged 34.

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The MixOctober 9

Sweet songs sung fast

Japanese originals Shonen Knife are bringing their upbeat punk-pop south next month, Tom McKinlay reports.

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The MixOctober 9

David Byrne is bringing back wisdom

David Byrne’s new book is Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up.

Business

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BusinessOctober 13

‘There’s just not a lot of demand’: Prime Dunedin office vacancies triple over past year

Vacancies of prime office space in Dunedin have more than tripled over the past year, including four and a-half floors in the CBD an expert says could go unclaimed for some time.

Tim Scott

BusinessOctober 13

Banking watchdogs ramp up AI scrutiny

Banking regulators are stepping up efforts to contain growing AI risks, with some pointing to the potential for cyberattacks on banks or rogue agents undermining global financial stability.

Reuters

BusinessOctober 13

Reserve Bank puts digital cash on hold

The Reserve Bank has paused the development of its digital cash proposal.

BusinessOctober 13

French fridge hack a 'wake-up call' for NZ supermarkets - cyber expert

A cybersecurity specialist says the hack on fridges in supermarkets across France should be a wake-up call.

Rural Life

Rural Life OtherOctober 8

National woos farmer vote with $300m low-cost loans for water storage

National is promising to lend farmers up to $300 million to help them store more water, as it targets the rural vote in this year's election.

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Rural Life OtherOctober 7

Practical health advice for men focus of Awamoko event

Sam McBride would like to see men’s health have greater recognition in New Zealand.

Sally Rae

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Rural LifeOctober 6

Drones prune control costs by making light work of tracking stray wilding pines

Drones are cutting control costs by tracing wilding pine stragglers in the Tekapo River area.

Tim Cronshaw

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Red MeatSeptember 30

Six-figure sire hits Southland after North Otago stop to collect genetics

An $100,000 black bull is now in his new home in Southland after a stop in Otago to harvest semen to sell to underbidders.

Shawn McAvinue

Food & Wine

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sweet, tender greens mark the beginning of longer days

Food & WineOctober 6

‘Fruity, chocolately, creamy or tangy?’ asks Australian baker

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Food & WineOctober 6

Sauteed Brussels sprouts, leek and crispy kale

In Season: Alison Lambert

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Food & WineOctober 6

Progressive lunch features cheese rolls and pavlova

Rebecca Fox

World

WorldOctober 13

Eight hurt in supermarket stabbings in Korea

A witness said the suspect appeared to have knives tethered to both hands and moved through several floors of the shopping complex.

WorldOctober 13

Pepper spray for self-defence made legal in Northern Territory

Children as young as 16 will be able to use pepper spray for self defence in a crime-troubled Australian territory following a year-long trial.

AAP

WorldOctober 13

Cyberattack heats fridges, sparks fires, destroys food across France

Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius, causing fires and spoiling food.

WorldOctober 13

Russell Brand’s trial for sex offences begins

The British actor and comedian faces charges of rape, sexual and indecent assault relating to six women from 1999 to 2009.

Reuters

West Coast

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West CoastOctober 12

Quake risk closes second council building

The Westland District Council will not be returning to its earthquake-prone headquarters for the foreseeable future, and another of its public buildings has now also been closed following fresh seismic safety advice.

Janna Sherman

West CoastOctober 12

West Coast leaders wary of spatial plan mandate

West Coast leaders are worried about the cost of the govt's new regional spatial plan requirements when ratepayers have just forked out $10m for the region's new combined district plan.

Vihan Dalal, Local Democracy reporter

Video

LEADER INTERVIEW

NewsOctober 13

Seymour trumpets Act’s ‘excellent progress’

Act New Zealand has risen to new heights in the past three years, literally and figuratively.

Mike Houlahan

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DunedinOctober 12

Battle of Passchendaele commemorated

Soldiers of the Battle of Passchendaele were remembered at a service on Monday.

John Lewis

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DunedinOctober 11

A full house, and more, greets Winston Peters in Mosgiel

NZ First leader Winston Peters came to town on Sunday, proclaiming that he had saved the new Dunedin Hospital and also the KiwiRail Hiilside workshop, and that next he would prevent the country from becoming an "Orwellian nightmare’’ or from turning into Myanmar or Venezuela.

Mike Houlahan

LEADER INTERVIEW

DunedinOctober 11

Hipkins 2.0 campaigning on his own platform

Chris Hipkins made history in the 2023 election, but for all the wrong reasons.

Mike Houlahan

Opinion

OpinionOctober 12

We need to talk about banks

New Zealand has many structural problems; not the least of which is our banking system.

Gerrard Eckhoff

OpinionOctober 12

Overseas, digital accessibility is becoming enforceable. New Zealand should not wait

Around the world, digital accessibility is moving from practice to legal accountability.

Andrea Midgen

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EditorialOctober 12

Too many Chiefs

Chief is a powerful word: it means that most important and denotes power and leadership.

Editorial

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OpinionOctober 12

Cartoonist’s view: October 13

Today's cartoon from Shaun Yeo.

YeoCartoonist

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OpinionOctober 12

Politicians should mind their language if they want to win hearts, minds and votes

Naughty four-letter words, when used by the right people, at the right time, in the right place are the gems of the English language.

Jim Sullivan

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OpinionOctober 11

Israel and Palestine: Thirty wasted years

Here is how the high command of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) laid down the rules for “remotely” killing suspected Palestinian activists in the densely populated Gaza Strip after the surprise Hamas attack on Israel three years ago this week (October 7).

Gwynne Dyer

100 Years Ago

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NewsOctober 12

Plenty of sunshine . . .

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 11

Liner on homeward leg

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 9

Māori ABs make an impression

100 years ago

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NewsOctober 8

New rooms to let

100 years ago