Ex-Highlander's home sells for $3.75m
Israel and Daisy Dagg sold their Waimakariri home for over $3.75m. "A truly special property that I had the privilege of marketing has now sold," Picton-Warlow said. Israel and Daisy Dagg. Daisy told Essence Magazine in 2022 she worked with Keane Builders from Amberley to create the home. Picton-Warlow told OneRoof she received multiple offers for the house from a range of buyers, including upsizers and downsizers.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 23:09 UTC
Unemployment highest in more than a decade
File photo: Getty ImagesUnemployment rose to its highest level in more than a decade, with more people chasing work than jobs created, while wage growth slowed further. Stats NZ numbers showed the unemployment rate rising to 5.4 percent in the three months ended December, from 5.3 percent in the previous quarter. It was the highest level since March 2015. "Over the quarter, we saw higher levels of engagement in the labour market as both employment and unemployment increased," macroeconomic spokesperson Jason Attewell said. The regions with the highest unemployment were Auckland, Wellington and Waikato with rates close to 6 percent, with all South Island regions below 5 percent.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 23:09 UTC
Shane Jones claims ‘whole story’ behind Labour MP Peeni Henare’s resignation not being told
Labour MP Peeni Henare in one-on-one interview at Waitangi after announcing he will leave Parliament after not seeking re-election. Video / NZ HeraldNew Zealand First minister and Northland-based MP Shane Jones says he wants to find out the “whole story” behind Labour MP Peeni Henare’s shock resignation, comparing the outcome to the dysfunction afflicting Te Pāti Māori. Henare, an MP of 12 years and former minister, announced yesterday he was leaving politics by confirming he would not contest his former electorate of Tāmaki Makaurau and would not seek a position on Labour’s list. Henare said he had “no bad feeling” towards Labour, claiming he had been assured by the party he could have contested Tāmaki Makaurau in the 2026 election. Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who initially refused to confirm Henare’s departure or express confidence in him ahead of the MP’s public statements, said the party would miss Henare as a passionate advocate for Māori.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2026 23:08 UTC
Horse racing: Australians being subsidised to race here, annoying local trainers
NZTR general manager of racing Mitch Lamb says the subsidies will be reviewed at the end of the summer racing season and could change back to a refundable system for next season. “We just wanted a clean, easy to explain incentive to get Australian horses here for the major meetings,” Lamb said. But whether that case can be made for some of the lesser-known subsidised Australian gallopers getting a $10,000 payment is arguable. Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2026 23:03 UTC
Canterbury crash: Family tribute to ‘gentle, thoughtful’ 22-year-old Connor Cossey
Connor Cossey. Photo / SuppliedOutside of work, Connor found joy in quieter worlds that encouraged imagination and reflection. “With his dad, Connor shared long conversations, gaming, a love of science and history, and a mutual comfort in silence. Photo / SuppliedShe said the loss to family and friends “feels like an endless ache” and “a deep and abiding sadness”. “Not only for the loss of Connor, but for the loss of a life that was only just beginning to unfold.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2026 23:02 UTC
Unemployment rises to 5.4% – highest level since 2015
The employment rate was 66.7% in the December 2025 quarter, compared with 66.6% in the September 2025 quarter. The labour force participation rate was 70.5% in the December 2025 quarter, compared with 70.3% in the previous quarter. Labour force participation indicates the proportion of working-age people who are engaged in the labour market through employment or unemployment. Compared with the September 2025 quarter, 20,000 more women were in the labour force – 16,000 more employed and 4000 more unemployed. Underutilisation is a broad measure of untapped labour market capacity that includes unemployed and underemployed people, along with the potential labour force.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2026 22:50 UTC
No budget to replace ice stadium roof
Roofing contractors check the damage to the stadium roof last October. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIENDunedin Ice Stadium’s 50-year-old roof is nearing the end of its life, but a replacement is not yet budgeted for, the city council says. At last week’s Dunedin City Council meeting, property services group manager Anna Nilsen said the facility’s roof was "definitely" coming to the end of its life. The cost of repairs to the Dunedin Ice Stadium roof following damage by intense winds in October is nearing $100,000, the city council says. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONConstruction of the building began in 1973 and it was converted from an indoor stadium to an ice rink in 2004.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 22:01 UTC
NZTA criticises Queenstown fast-track housing project
RCL Homestead Bay Ltd applied through the fast-track legislation to develop land on State Highway 6, between The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu, known as the southern corridor. The Homestead Bay application was heard by a panel made up of Queenstown lawyer Jayne MacDonald (chairwoman), environmental scientist Dr Jane Kitson, engineer Alan Pattle and resource consent hearing commissioner Rosaline Day-Cleavin. "NZTA considers that the potential impacts of the Homestead Bay development on the operation and safety of the corridor would be significant," the agency said in its report. RCL Homestead Bay Ltd said unnecessary wording was proposed within the condition around that. "Excluding a requirement to protect viewpoints from the state highway will have a detrimental impact on Queenstown as a whole," the association said.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 22:01 UTC
Motorcyclist killed in crash near Hanmer Springs named
Police have released the name of the man who died in a motorcycle crash near Hanmer Springs last week. At the time, police said they were called to the crash on State Highway 7 / Mouse Point Road, between Hanmer Springs Rd and Leslie Hills Rd at about noon on January 29. "Sadly, despite emergency services best efforts, the motorcyclist died at the scene," police said. "Our thoughts are with those close to him at this difficult time." Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash remain ongoing.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 22:00 UTC
Search for missing Christchurch mum stalls
The search for Rowena Walker continues, with police exploring multiple avenues to locate her. Photo: PoliceThe nationwide search for a Christchurch mum who was last seen in August last year has hit a wall. Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan said it has been more than three months since concerned family members reported Rowena Walker, 39, missing on October 22, 2025. Rowena Walker was reported missing on October 22, 2025. "Information no matter how small is crucial in our search, and we encourage anyone with information that could assist us to please get in touch."
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 21:04 UTC
Drone deployed in search for missing Invercargill man
Photo: NZ PoliceSearch teams using a drone have been scouring the Southland countryside for an Invercargill man missing for almost a month. Kevin Belling, 62, was last seen at his Motu Rimu farm on Friday, January 9 and police have "serious concerns" for his welfare. Police search and rescue and Land SAR teams have conducted extensive searches and recently focused on Mr Belling's Caeser Road property in Kapuka, police said. The search involved foot search teams and a drone. Recent searches focused on Mr Belling's Caeser Road property in Kapuka.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 21:04 UTC
'People are angry': Sewage stench meeting gets heated
Local musician and community advocate, Rebecca Robin, said the meeting with council staff in Bromley on Tuesday night got heated. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnonA Christchurch woman says she walked out in anger from a community meeting last night about a putrid-smelling sewage plant. Offensive odours have plagued the city's eastern suburbs after a fire destroyed the Bromley wastewater plant in 2021. Local musician and community advocate, Rebecca Robin, said the meeting with council staff in Bromley on Tuesday night got heated. The Bromley wastewater plant.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 20:12 UTC
Major home insurer refuses new policies in Blenheim
Photo: Getty ImagesBlenheim residents say AA Insurance has stopped offering new home insurance policies in their town, following similar decisions in Westport and parts of greater Christchurch. The company would not confirm if new policies in Blenheim were being declined for the same reason, or for flood risk like Westport. The couple ended up buying a different house, insuring it with AMI instead of AA Insurance. "We enquired about insuring a new build in Blenheim yesterday and discovered that AA have blacklisted Blenheim," one said. "These steps would reduce losses and signal to global reinsurers that New Zealand is managing its risk exposure, helping to stabilise costs."
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 19:51 UTC
Mount Maunganui landslide: Contractor bitten by police search dog on site
After the slip, diggers and other heavy machinery were brought on to the site to move debris and help the search. Bay of Plenty police operations and support manager Inspector Logan Marsh said the contractor “sustained a dog bite” on January 23. Photo / Anna Heath“The contractor received medical treatment and we have been in contact with them since to offer support,” he told the Herald. By Sunday, all of the Mount Maunganui victims had been formally identified. He said the last 11 days have been extremely difficult for the families and police would continue to provide ongoing support to them.
Source:New Zealand Herald
February 03, 2026 17:34 UTC
Fast-tracked fish farm could create 500 jobs
File photo: Stephen JaquieryA large salmon farm just off Stewart Island could put nearly $400 million into Southland households and lead to nearly 500 fulltime jobs. The proposed site of about 1300ha is located about 2km off the northern coast of Stewart Island, 13km northwest of Oban. At full production, the pens and feed barges will occupy about 100ha of coastal space, less than 8% of the proposed site. Great white sharks are present at Stewart Island from late summer to early winter, but they are largely absent during the rest of the year, the application said. The proposed site overlaps with great white shark habitat, and a major great white shark aggregation site was located 10km away at the Tītī Islands.
Source:Otago Daily Times
February 03, 2026 16:19 UTC