Smuggling by family alleged
The Otago Corrections Facility. PHOTO: ODT FILESThe loved ones of an Otago Corrections Facility inmate may find their visiting rights revoked after being caught trying to smuggle in medication. On Thursday, corrections staff found a prisoner was attempting to conceal two packages of the medication suboxone following a visit from a group of people. Otago Corrections Facility (OCF) general manager Dave Miller said the prisoner would face internal misconduct charges and the visitors may be banned from the prison. OCF, as one of the country’s largest prisons, had a high rate of people attempting smuggling.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 15:37 UTC
Vigilance urged as second case recorded
Photo: suppliedDunedin has recorded its second case of invasive Meningococcal Disease meningitis, but a foundation is concerned not enough is being done to stop the spread. Medical Officer of Health for the National Public Health Service Dr John Eastwood said they had been notified of two cases of meningococcal meningitis in Dunedin. "Close contacts have been identified and offered antibiotic and vaccination protection. "Close contacts in the most recent case have been identified and offered antibiotic and vaccination protection, however the foundation believes it is critical that the student community were aware of the risk." He said it was important to know the symptoms and seek medical help quickly if students felt unwell.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 15:37 UTC
Medical centre picks new portal after hack
Queenstown Medical Centre (QMC) will phase in a new patient portal from next Friday to replace its hacked Manage My Health (MMH) app. CEO Ashley Light says it’s chosen New Zealand-based Vensa Health Ltd, because it best meets QMC’s cyber security requirements. Vensa will begin inviting QMC patients to sign up to its web browser-based portal on March 20. However, it later learned the data flow has continued because the instructions were incorrect. ‘‘But we think it was the right thing to do for our patients, because MMH clearly wasn't meeting our requirements, our patients’ requirements or cyber security requirements.’’
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 15:33 UTC
Trump Administration allows for Russian oil sales as energy prices soar
US President Donald Trump's Administration and the US Treasury have temporarily allowed sales of Russian oil in a bid to cool the global market. Photo / Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump's Administration and the US Treasury have temporarily allowed sales of Russian oil in a bid to cool the global market. Photo / Getty ImagesThe Trump Administration has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil shipments in an effort to calm markets and stem the economic fallout from its war on Iran, which has sent crude prices spiralling upward. “To increase the global reach of existing supply, @USTreasury is providing a temporary authorisation to permit countries to purchase Russian oil currently stranded at sea,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on X. The move will provide a huge financial boost to Russia, which experts say has already been receiving about US$150 million per day from increased oil sales since the US attacked Iran two weeks ago.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 13, 2026 15:28 UTC
Auckland Whitford Manor wastewater nightmare: Can consent hearing save troubled housing project?
Robyn Newman-Hall, front centre, and other residents at Whitford Manor Estate pictured in 2024 after waiting four years for a fully-functioning wastewater system. Property listings for Whitford Manor Estate, which went into receivership after failing to provide a wastewater treatment system. The Herald reported in 2024 some had been left gagging at the smell of raw sewage coming from the estate’s wastewater treatment plant. Whitford Manor Estate resident Robyn Newman-Hall said the housing development's future hinges on an upcoming consent hearing. “The consent process is progressing including commissioning of the wastewater treatment plant,” it said.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 13, 2026 14:59 UTC
Exclusive: Global DJ Liv Nervo and the inside story of her wealthy Kiwi love Matt Pringle
Liv Nervo and Matt Pringle had photos taken to celebrate her pregnancy. Nervo - ‘I felt violated’Nervo has told the Herald how the close and loving exclusive relationship she believed she had with Pringle turned out to be something else. Liv Nervo said she and Matt Pringle saw each other from late 2016 through to February 2019 when she discovered he had a second family in New Zealand. I want my mum to meet and love you like I do.”DJ Liv Nervo with New Zealand businessman Matt Pringle. Matt Pringle and Liv Nervo were known as a couple among her DJ friends and workmates.
Source:New Zealand Herald
March 13, 2026 14:31 UTC
Meeting at Milton station led to 70-year romance
Photo: suppliedAn unforgettable encounter at South Otago’s Milton Railway Station during May 1953 was the beginning of a long romance for Ted and Irene McCreath. The Rangiora couple, who will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with family and friends on March 16, still have clear, fond memories of their first meeting at the station. The couple married a little over two years later, on March 16 in 1956, at Dunedin’s First Church and spent their honeymoon in Oamaru. Ted and Irene McCreath have fond memories of meeting at Milton's Railway Station. Ted left the Navy before he and Irene married and the couple originally lived in Milton, where Ted drove trucks for a living.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 14:15 UTC
SH1 crash claims fourth victim
Four people have now died after a crash between a car and a campervan on State Highway 1 south of Blenheim last month. Emergency services were called to the crash about 10.40am on Sunday, February 22. Two people died at the scene, near Redwood Pass, and another died in hospital soon after. The fourth person died on Friday, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, police said. Docx's death notice described her as a “warm-hearted, wise, strong woman with an open view of the world”.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 14:01 UTC
Petrol pumps run dry amid panic buying
Photo: Nick Monro / RNZExtra demand on Gull's discount day has left some of its petrol stations running low on fuel. "Sites that sold through yesterday, have, or are currently being refuelled for Gull's customers by our logistics' provider," a spokesperson said. Meanwhile, in Palmerston North, two pumps ran dry at supermarkets due to high consumer demand. AA spokesperson Terry Collins said the wider fuel network ran on a "just in time" basis and any extra demand from people panic buying would put stress on the system. Have you tried to purchase petrol at a station that's run out?
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 14:01 UTC
You want AI with that? Masked woman tells BK to 'hire humans'
The 30-year-old woman was wearing a white mask and carrying two cans of white spray-paint when she ran into the Burger King in Andersons Bay Rd. Photo: Google MapsA masked protester defaced a drive-through at a fast food restaurant over the chain’s decision to replace human order-takers with AI. When she stopped at the drive through intercom, she whipped out the paint and wrote: ‘‘No AI, hire humans’’. She was arrested, and police found the two cans of spray paint and the white mask in her possession. When asked why she did it, she told officers she was ‘‘annoyed’’ at companies such as Burger King using AI technology instead of hiring humans.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 13:55 UTC
Child serious after being hit by car in Invercargill McDonald's carpark
A child has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car in an Invercargill fast-food carpark. A police spokeswoman said emergency services were called to a McDonald’s carpark about 7pm tonight after reports that a vehicle had hit a child. ‘‘The child was taken to hospital in serious condition,’’ the spokeswoman said. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said they responded trucks from its Invercargill and Kingswell stations. No-one was trapped and they left the scene in the care of St John, the spokeswoman said.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 13:45 UTC
Wastewater testing shows rise in Covid cases
Photo: Getty ImagesWastewater testing is showing an increase in Covid cases, and hospitalisations are on the rise as New Zealand enters it's ninth Covid wave. These days we know that testing is not so available, so wastewater testing is a really good indication of if we have got a surge in cases. But Dr Jack said the wastewater testing does provide accurate information. But if not, we have the wastewater testing to fall back on." While Covid cases are on the rise, so to are vaccination numbers.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 13:31 UTC
'Sick and dangerous' teacher aide jailed for sexually abusing girls
Manase Uaisele was sentenced in the Napier District Court to five years and four months in prison for sexual offending against young girls. Photo / Ric StevensPolice are open to receiving further complaints about a former teacher aide, described by a victim as a “sick and dangerous man”, who has been jailed for sexual offending against young girls. Teacher aide at Te Whai Hiringa SchoolFive victims were students when Uaisele was a teacher aide at Te Whai Hiringa School in Hastings, formerly known as Peterhead School. In the Napier District Court on Friday, an earlier victim, now an adult woman, confronted Uaisele in person. “You are a real coward who needs to live with this for the rest of your life,” the girl’s statement said.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 13:29 UTC
'No AI, hire humans': Masked woman defaces Dunedin Burger King
The 30-year-old woman was wearing a white mask and carrying two cans of white spray-paint when she ran into the Burger King in Andersons Bay Rd. The 30-year-old woman was wearing a white mask and carrying two cans of white spray-paint when she ran into the Burger King in Andersons Bay Rd at 9.10pm yesterday, Sergeant Matt Lee, of Dunedin, said. When she stopped at the drive through intercom, she whipped out the paint and wrote: ‘‘No AI, hire humans’’. She was arrested, and police found the two cans of spray paint and the white mask in her possession. When asked why she did it, she told officers she was ‘‘annoyed’’ at companies such as Burger King using AI technology instead of hiring humans.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 12:49 UTC
Otago students struggle to pay rent amid loan payment delays
Photo: ODT FilesStressed out students are struggling to pay rent, buy food and take the bus to class because their student loan applications are still not processed, weeks after courses began. Other students in her hall were worried about being kicked out of university because they could not pay their fees, Bethell said. She confirmed students would be backpaid, and said anyone who's struggling students should contact them. Student associations advocating for studentsVictoria University Students' Association president Aidan Donoghue said up to fifteen students had been in touch this academic year struggling with Studylink delays meaning they can't pay their fees. Other student associations had also seen an increase in students reporting StudyLink application delays.
Source:Otago Daily Times
March 13, 2026 12:32 UTC