Weather: Incoming wave of humidity as tropics fire up
MetService meteorologist Rob Kerr told the Herald humidity was set to stick around in much of the North Island due to an absence of wind or northward cold fronts to push warm, humid air out. Meanwhile, rain is set to hit parts of the lower South Island tonight before moving further north, Kerr said. Nelson is forecast to reach 24C today, with Christchurch set for 17C and Dunedin 18C. Scorching temperatures in the North Island are set to ease slightly today, with Napier and Hastings expected to reach highs of 28C and 29C respectively. Elsewhere, Auckland is set to reach 25C, Hamilton has a predicted high of 26C, while Wellington is set for a cooler 19C.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 07, 2026 17:33 UTC
Donald Trump deletes racist Obama monkeys video after bipartisan fury
It has been taken down,” a White House official told AFP. Asked if he condemns the racist imagery in the video, Trump replied: “of course I do”. “No one believes this cover-up from the White House, especially since they originally defended this post,” she wrote. In his second term in the White House, Trump has used hyper-realistic but fabricated AI visuals on Truth Social and other platforms, often glorifying himself and rallying his conservative base around social issues. Since returning to the White House, Trump has led a crusade against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 07, 2026 16:39 UTC
Bold ideas meet good company
Te Radar and Ruth Spencer discuss their book Kiwi Country: Rural New Zealand in 100 Objects. This March, Wānaka will be bubbling with conversation, curiosity and connection from the Aspiring Conversations Festival. Aspiring Conversations features more than 30 speakers and performers across 12 events. Aspiring Conversations isn’t just about listening — it’s about connecting, socialising and even a little indulging. So whether you’re after bold ideas, playful debate, or just time for thinking, Aspiring Conversations will be the place for, well ... aspiring conversations.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 15:53 UTC
Petition launched to save post shop
North End Oamaru Post Shop is facing closure. Just a week after NZ Post announced it will close the Oamaru North End Post Shop, a petition is being circulated on Change.org to keep the post office open. This makes the North End Post Shop indispensable,’’ petition creator Lisa Carter said on the Change.org website. ‘‘Our local North End Post Shop contributes a lot for our community. ‘‘However, this may be reviewed in future.’’Oamaru North End Post Shop owners Paul and Jan Denny are appealing NZ Post’s decision.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 15:53 UTC
Fundraiser provides late Christmas present
PHOTO: SUPPLIEDA community organisation is still feeling the Christmas joy in January after Christmas tree sales landed them a healthy donation. Over the Christmas period Food For Love had its latest fundraiser which allowed community members to purchase a locally-grown Christmas tree. Mr Dippie said he and the team from Nichols contact local farms in search of Christmas trees. Mitre 10 Wānaka marketing and communications co-ordinator Karen Wells said Mitre 10 MEGA is very much part of the local community. Ms Wells said the initiative ‘Blues Christmas Trees’ have been sold outside the Mitre 10 MEGA store since it opened in Three Parks.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 15:53 UTC
High achiever chased TV dream
Madaleine Mansfield at the Moeraki Tavern where she has been working over the summer holidays before her placement next month at Sky TV. PHOTO: JULES CHINOamaru woman and budding journalist Madaleine Mansfield has received an Australasian Rotary scholarship and the Ross Stevens Scholarship from TVNZ. The Rotary Down Under Journalism Scholarship, a $10,000 prize awarded to one New Zealand journalism student each year, was founded by the late Paul Enhancing, and his successor Bob Aitken, to support the next generation of journalists. Miss Mansfield discovered she had received the scholarship while working on a second-year New Zealand Broadcasting School (NZBS) media project. The high achiever, who worked 30 hours a week while studying, had also begun a burgeoning jewellery business, and dreamt of working for Sky TV.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 15:53 UTC
ORC community survey under way
Photo: suppliedThe Otago Regional Council (ORC) is encouraging ratepayers contacted by letter to take part in its latest community survey, which will help shape the future of services to the public. ORC chairperson Hilary Calvert said the survey would start appearing in the mailboxes of more than 14,000 randomly selected ratepayers from this week. “In these uncertain times, it is even more important to know as much as we can about what people in Otago feel about what the Otago Regional Council is doing well and what we can do better. “In the meantime, ORC still has job to do on behalf of the public and environment with services to deliver. “The survey results will help inform decision-making, improve services, and meet accountability and transparency expectations.”— Allied Media
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 15:53 UTC
Actor Timothy Busfield indicted by grand jury on sexual charges
Timothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. Photo / Getty ImagesTimothy Busfield has been indicted on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child. Photo / Getty ImagesTimothy Busfield has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a child. All of the charges against the 68-year-old actor – who is married to Little House On The Prairie actor Melissa Gilbert – are third-degree felonies, according to court documents obtained by People magazine. He went on to say: “The Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office remains committed to doing everything possible to protect children and ensure justice for victims across New Mexico.”
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 07, 2026 14:56 UTC
Tribunal tosses Taiwanese Hwa Hsia Society rent claim over storage shed
But the shed’s owner disputes that there was ever a residential tenancy relationship. Instead, Chen argued the structure was a storage shed, not a dwelling, and therefore fell outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction. According to the tribunal’s recently released decision, the society terminated the tenancy last August and issued a demand for unpaid rent, giving Chen 30 days to remove the structure and clear the arrears. But Chen insisted the “cabin” had never been used, or was intended to be used as a residence, and was instead used solely for storage purposes. In dismissing the claim, Kan ruled the structure was a shed used for storage, not a “residential premises” as defined under the act.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 07, 2026 14:42 UTC
Nick Cave wows Wellington with intense performance
Nick Cave on stage in Wellington. Photos: Craig BaxterOn a ripsnortingly beautiful Wellington evening, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds took a mostly 40+ crowd on an emotional rollercoaster. The New Zealand singer-songwriter's percussionless performance wet the whistle as the big shed on the capital’s waterfront filled up with an audience of Cave disciples. With Harding offstage, the words 'Wild God' – the title of Cave and his Bad Seeds' 2024 album – appeared on two big screens on either side of the stage. At one point, Cave referred to Ellis as "shy and retiring".
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 14:19 UTC
Judge's hands forced in man's bid to adopt his own son
He then had to apply to the court to adopt the baby boy as his own child. New Zealand law does not currently afford any automatic rights to the intending parents of a child born via surrogacy. "There is an uncomfortable inference available that [the man’s] relationship with [the woman] existed purely for the purpose of satisfying the requirements of the surrogacy agreement," Judge Pidwell said. Judge Pidwell said that courts around the world had grappled with cases where surrogacy laws clash with children who have already been born, sometimes illegally. "The focus of the New Zealand courts, however, is to honour the child’s rights, rather than punish the parents," Judge Pidwell said.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 14:15 UTC
Who would have guessed he was a bad man?
The Herald reports:A man believed to have suffered around 1000 instances of sexual abuse as a young boy was scared into silence by his abuser’s threats. But 30 years on, after decades of pain, the man has faced his abuser and reclaimed his voice and his power. “I want my voice to be heard,” he said last week at the sentencing of Randall Kevin Wilson, a former tattooist from Hikurangi. Wilson, 49, was sent to prison when he appeared in the Whangārei District Courtfor sentencing on charges of sexual violation against two boys. The historical sexual offending dates back to three decades ago and relates to two boys who were under the age of 10 at the time, with one being just 3 years old.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 07, 2026 14:05 UTC
Obituary: explored, protected remote lands
Esteemed park ranger Grahame Champness. He did well at school and on leaving, began his working career with the National Parks Board on the Milford Track. This was followed by Franz Josef Glacier, then as a parks ranger at Aoraki/Mt Cook. Grahame Champness tends to one of the dogs in his care during an expedition to Antarctica in the late 1960s. As Neil Clifton stated, "his advocacy and commitment to ‘national park values’, conservation insight and dedication were absolute".
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 13:44 UTC
Three dead after light plane crash off SA coast
Three men, two of them teenagers, are dead after their light plane crashed into the ocean in front of onlookers at a popular South Australian fishing spot. Police responded to reports of a plane crashing into the water at Long Bay near Murray Mouth, about 85 kilometres south of Adelaide, shortly before 4.30pm on Friday. The pilot, a 57-year-old man from Morphett Vale, as well as his two passengers, aged 18 and 19, were found dead. A resident of nearby Goolwa told the ABC the scene near the crash was "chaos". The crash site is a remote beach but a popular fishing spot as it marks the spot where the Murray River meets the Southern Ocean.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 11:17 UTC
Family member declared suspect in boy's disappearance
Supplied photoThe grandparents of a missing four-year-old boy say they are "absolutely devastated" after a family member was declared a suspect in his likely death. Police on Thursday declared his disappearance a major crime, saying they had a suspect who lived at Oak Park Station. "We don't believe now that Gus is alive," Det Supt Fielke said. Det Supt Fielke said ground and aerial searches failed to locate Gus or any items belonging to him and family members had provided information that police had reviewed. "It's challenging, it's delicate at times when you're dealing with family members ... our people have been unwavering and kept an open mind."
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 07, 2026 10:58 UTC