The proposed Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project site. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYThe proposed Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project near Tarras has been a consistent topic of discussion and media coverage over the course of 2025. The process in considering the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project has and will continue to be incredibly thorough. Provided Santana meets its obligations every step of the way, I am supportive of the Bendigo-Ophir Gold Project. The economic impact of the Bendigo-Ophir project is staggering.

Photo: suppliedILT Academy Southland celebrated two decades of supporting Southland’s best young athletes at a special function in Invercargill yesterday. Since the first pilot in 2005, the academy has supported more than 250 sportspeople. "We provide a programme that ... makes a short- and long-term difference to athletes’ performance and grows them as people. Ten Olympians, 30 Commonwealth Games athletes and many national and world champions had been supported by Academy Southland. "We develop young Southland athletes to excel at the highest level in life as well — Harvard, Duke, Princeton, Oxford and a Rhodes Scholar."

Contractors put the finishing touches on the temporary Bailey bridge that will provide a crucial crossing between Rivers St and Graveyard Gully Rd over the Manuherikia River. PHOTO: ELLA JENKINSA temporary bridge spanning the Manuherikia River in Alexandra will provide a "crucial crossing" for heavy vehicles, the council says. The Little Valley Rd bridge would close from early March to allow the timber deck and beams to be replaced. It would remain open and available for use for suitable heavy vehicles, light vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists until construction began, the spokesperson said. The temporary bridge was suitable for vehicles, including class 1 heavy vehicles, but has no facility for pedestrian access.

Union Steam Ship Co’s Wellington-Picton ferry steamer Tamahine on its maiden voyage. — Otago Witness, 19.1.1926December 21: There was a memorable scene at Picton this evening when the Union Company’s new ferry steamer Tamahine, specially built at Home for the Wellington-Picton service, arrived on her maiden trip with streamers of flags flying and the Australian Silver Band playing. The Tamahine was thrown open for inspection, and the visitors were delighted at the roominess and up-to-dateness. The Tamahine carried on her maiden trip about 400 ordinary passengers and 25 motor cars belonging to tourists. Later he was in the Secret Service in Russia during the height of the Bolshevist terror, becoming an official in the Soviet organisation.

Christina Grant stands in front of her mother’s rose bushes with her husband Callum Grant at Tarras Village, a cluster of businesses they are working to expand. PHOTO: EVIE SINCLAIRChristina and Callum Grant are following through on a family vision by expanding Tarras Village. Mrs Grant said she took pride in adding "new flare" to the vision of her parents, John and Heather Perriam, who wanted to make Tarras Village a must-see destination. The Perriams, owners of Bendigo Station where Mrs Grant grew up, bought the cafe in 1984, and later opened the Merino Shop. When Mum passed away she had the merino shop and was in the process of making a high-end grocery shop," she said.

Over the next three weeks, the Otago Daily Times runs its annual Summer Times section. As one colleague put it, it is an opportunity to let our hair down and don very fashionable Hawaiian shirts. The 2025-26 edition includes "Working On It", a series of profiles on passion projects, "Collected", a series on collectors, and a personal favourite, "What’s In There? The sports department found people with obscure and unlikely favourite teams. — Summer Times editor George Elliott

After a slow start, two nominations had been received by Friday for the Central Otago District Council vacancy. The council has been one member down since October’s election when Dave McKenzie stepped down days after being elected in the Vincent ward, blaming an online campaign against him. Closest-polling candidate at the election Louise van der Voort and business owner Nat Jamieson have both been nominated to fill the Vincent ward seat. Mr McKenzie was the target of an online campaign alleging financial impropriety in 2018 while he was working as a contractor to the council. After initially saying he would not resign, Mr McKenzie did so on October 14, saying online attacks had become "too higher [sic] price to pay".

Olivia, 8 (left), and Hannah, 9, Bottomley take a ride in an Ocean Beach Railway carriage. Photo: Peter McIntoshDozens of families got to experience old-style rail travel while supporting local food banks at St Kilda yesterday. Otago Railway and Locomotive Society chairman Campbell Thomson said the Ocean Beach collection welcomed the arrival in service of a 1913 carriage at the weekend, after it had taken nearly a year to bring it up to standard. "We hope days like this help to keep alive a history of New Zealand railways. • The society announced last night the food drive had collected 440 cans and plenty of other food items for local food banks.

He made the bowl from the wood of an Irish yew which was removed from the Dunedin Botanic Garden in 2020. Photo: Peter McIntoshThose in search of a last-minute Christmas present may be interested in gifting a wee piece of woodturned Dunedin. He used wood of pruned or felled trees in the Dunedin Botanic Garden in his work — the smallest pieces of wood were made into jewellery. they have a little mana to them because they’re from Dunedin, from the garden," Mr Leichter said. They’re taking home a piece of Dunedin.

Queenstown's golfers are being asked to rally behind a local business following a fire. The Frankton Golf Centre, owned by Queenstown’s council, was gutted in an accidental blaze on December 13. While the 9-hole course remains open, and bookings are being taken online, the driving range and pro shop, run by Inspire Golf for more than a decade, are closed until further notice. In the meantime, they were offering additional value on voucher purchases "to help us get back on our feet". "Your support over the past 12 years has meant the world to us," the post said.

Midway through the string of offences he graffitied the Dunedin District Court sign, and used a blue marker to tag other walls around the city. Half an hour later, the court heard Wise forced his way into an analytics company around the corner, where he raided the boardroom for audiovisual equipment. Judge Robinson stressed the severe impact on the victims. The court heard one company had to scramble frantically to protect confidential client documents which were contained on the stolen computers. The victims suffered total losses of up to $22,000 but Judge Robinson said Wise had no means to pay that off, and declined to order reparation.

Photo: Gregor RichardsonA Dunedin clinician is calling on the government to firm up a solution for pathology for the new Dunedin hospital inpatients building or else face the "crazy" situation of carting sensitive material across State Highway 1. Work is under way on the best solution for pathology, which is an essential service for the new hospital." It made "total sense" to use the current "shell" on the sixth floor of the planned inpatients building to be used to provide the 3500sq m-4000sq m needed for the pathology laboratory. "It has become clear that a standalone pathology building is not on the current agenda, but a decision needs to come soon, as the clock is ticking." Construction of the inpatients building resumed in July.

Otago cricketers played key roles as the South claimed inter-island bragging rights with a 31-run win in a rain-affected third T20 game in Nelson on Saturday. Captain Polly Inglis smashed 38 off 19 balls, including seven fours, and PJ Watkins made 26 off 21 as the South compiled 171 for eight from their 20 overs. Louisa Kotkamp then took three for 17 as the North were held to 100 for seven off 16 overs, losing by 31 runs on the DLS method when rain ended the game. The South won the series 2-1. — Allied Media

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The victim inquired and, believing it to be legitimate, agreed to buy it and duly transferred the money. However, Mullen’s scam was exposed when she asked the victim for more money. The next day, the victim received a call from Kiwi Bank, who confirmed she had been scammed and encouraged her to make a police report. She never received the tiny home, nor did she get her money back. She admitted receiving the money and withdrawing it, but denied knowing anything about the Facebook ad or how she got the money.