South Otago Forest & Bird member Jim Young talks with Gina Gardner, and Quinn, 9, and Piper Povey, 7, of Kākā Point, about the plight of yellow-eyed penguins at the recent Kākā Point Market Day. PHOTO: JANINE THOMPSONLocal conservationists say they will not stop advocating for hoiho, as the message of their plight continues to gain public awareness. South Otago Forest & Bird members held twin events at the Kākā Point Surf Lifesaving Club and the Kākā Point Market Day this month, designed to spread the word about the cliff-edge situation in which the endangered species finds itself. "Although awareness of the plight of the hoiho is increasing, there are still some people who don’t know what’s happening, and just how important it is for us to be taking action right now." "We hope to have the ban on set-netting extended into the Catlins, so I would say the plight of the hoiho will be a key focus for our group this year."

PHOTO: SUPPLIEDMcDonald's is "lovin’ it" after being granted consent to build a 24/7 restaurant with a drive-through in Wānaka, on its second attempt. A previous push by McDonald's to open a restaurant at Mt Iron was turned down by the Queenstown Lakes District Council last year. Critics objected to the potential look of McDonald's in the lakeside town, along with concerns about rubbish, traffic and healthy eating. The approval grants a 450.4sqm McDonald’s restaurant and drive-through, located near the BP service station, at 1 Sir Tim Wallis Dr. "It is acknowledged that the nature of a McDonald’s restaurant and the associated drive-through activity create waste.

Plan Change 120 is under threat. This back-down couldn’t be coming at a worse time for Auckland. Plan Change 120 is the final piece of the puzzle to put homes near these investments and maximise our return on them. If we pull back on Plan Change 120 now, we’re putting all of that under threat, and we’ll still have to pay the price of housing growth anyway. Cutting back on the number of houses that Plan Change 120 enables risks wasting those investments.

But its huge tally included a best actor nomination for Michael B. Jordan – who plays twins returning home to the 1930s segregated US South – plus nods for everything from screenplay to score. One Battle After Another came in second place with 13 nods including best picture, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director for Paul Thomas Anderson. Guillermo del Toro’s monster epic Frankenstein, Timothee Chalamet’s ping-pong drama Marty Supreme and Norwegian arthouse favourite Sentimental Value each bagged nine nominations. While Sinners tops the nominations, One Battle remains the frontrunner to win best picture, having won almost every precursor prize going so far this awards season. International votersWith the Academy’s overseas voter base rapidly expanding, both Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent were nominated for best picture.

Photo: File imageAuckland first-home buyers and other out-of-towners continue to be lured to Christchurch as property values grow at a faster rate than other main centres. The index recorded a modest drop nationally in property values of 0.2% in December and 1% over the year. Overseas arrivals from the likes of India or South Africa are often making new homes near migrant communities. The latest OneRoof house price figures show the average property value in Christchurch is about $805,000. The property market was providing good value for money with a three-bedroom house in a suburb close to the city going for $700,000 to $800,000, he said.

A serial scammer with a lengthy history of targeting vulnerable elderly women has been sent to prison again after “entirely” cleaning out a 91-year-old’s bank account over five weeks. The court heard that in February 2025 McAuley knocked on the victim’s door and claimed to be “doing rounds for gutter cleaning”. Photo / Greg BowkerSarah said her mother was deeply affected by McAuley’s offending. Photo / NZME“I want a sentence that reflects the deliberate targeting of elderly women in vulnerable positions,” she said. McAuley has been jailed repeatedly for ripping off elderly women.

The site of the old Roslyn scout hall, which was destroyed by fire on January 14. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHPlans to remove the Roslyn scout hall were under way a week before a large fire ripped through the more than 100-year-old building. On January 14, passing Roslyn firefighters noticed smoke billowing from the hall in School St, Kaikorai. The fire quickly engulfed the structure and significant efforts were put into extinguishing the blaze. Firefighters fought the blaze for about five hours and smoke from the fire prompted emergency danger alerts across the city.

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A man was left with five broken teeth, a broken nose and a concussion after he was coward punched at a Milton pub, a court has heard. Damian Ross Wyber, 36, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to injuring with intent to injure. The court heard that on June 27, the defendant was at a pub in Milton playing pool and drinking alcohol. He stood between the two arguing men drinking a beer and without warning Wyber punched him in the face. The victim suffered a cut to his eye, a broken nose, swelling to both eyes, five chipped teeth and a concussion.

Meteorologist Silvia Martino said wet and windy weather was headed for Otago and Southland today, and was expected to hang around for the entire weekend. Although no weather warnings had yet been issued, she recommended residents prepare for them, to be on the safe side. Overnight Saturday, temperatures were expected to drop and snow may fall at higher levels around the southern regions, she said. The forecast was the same for Sunday, and wind and heavy rain warnings were again possible for Southland, Clutha and Dunedin. She said the weather was expected to ease later on Sunday.

Central Otago artist Bridget Paape’s shop has been closed by the Central Otago District Council due to building consent non-compliance. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONA Central Otago business owner is fuming over a lack of communication after council officers turned up this week and gave her a day to close down. Gone Potty owner Bridget Paape was told by the Central Otago District Council on Monday her shop needed to close the following day. Six months later an email arrived from the council saying she did not have appropriate building consent for a commercial building. A routine resource consent monitoring inspection revealed no building consent was obtained for the change from an unlined shed/garage to a retail space, he said.

IMAGE: SUPPLIEDThe first sod in Queenstown’s long-awaited, $2 billion Lakeview Te Taumata project — tipped to reshape the town’s urban centre — will be turned in three weeks’ time. The February 12 ceremony comes after Australian developer Ninety-Four Feet last month paid the council $8 million to secure the first parcel of what used to be the 10ha Queenstown Motor Park. In turn, it follows the 2019 signing of a development agreement between Ninety-Four Feet, triggering a council spend of about $70 million on civil works. Five percent of proceeds will also be given to the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust to deliver more affordable housing. "We’re seeing unprecedented interest from buyers who recognise the long-term value of Lakeview," local New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty (NZSIR) sales associate Myles Green said.

PHOTO: ODT FILESA Welshman on a working holiday visa has cut his stay short after crashing his car into a power pole while drink-driving. Gwion Enwyl Emberton, 19, was before the Gore District Court this week on one charge of drink-driving last November. The court heard he was on a working holiday visa, working as a contractor in Heriot and had a full UK driver’s licence. Emberton had already contacted the power company to organise payment for the damaged pole, Ms McCullum said. "He’s just made a bad decision and ... because of that he’s chosen for his working holiday to end."

Former Faigan’s Store manager Jude Omond, is transported back in time with memorabilia from the store now on display at the Millers Flat Bakehouse museum. The former Faigan’s Store has been brought back to life with a display at the Millers Flat Bakehouse and Museum which is just metres down the road from where the store used to be. Ivan Faigan in his Millers Flat store. Much of the memorabilia from the store, which had been converted into a cafe, is now on display next door at the Millers Flat bakehouse. On display was only a small selection of the collection, and there were more treasures to be uncovered and catalogued, she said.

The warning comes after the Commission analysed the range review processes of all major supermarkets. Photo: ODT filesThe Commerce Commission has warned Woolworths New Zealand for what it believes is a likely breach of the Grocery Industry Competition Act, following a review of major supermarkets' product delisting processes. The Commission analysed the range review processes of all major supermarkets to assess whether they were meeting their obligations under the Grocery Supply Code. The updated Grocery Supply Code is due to come into force on May 1. The revised code gives suppliers clearer rights to challenge delisting decisions and greater transparency in their dealings with major supermarkets.