Mike Sanford

The government will merge SIT – Southern Institute of Technology with  15 other polytechnics into a single institute next year and replace all 11 industry training organisations within three years as part of a total overhaul of the vocational education system. Education Minister Chris Hipkins said t

The Health Select Committee has voted against a motion to investigate the decision to downgrade the Lumsden Maternity Centre. The Southern District Health Board announced last year the centre would become a hub where babies are only delivered in emergencies, but that decision has been criticised by

Invercargill Police are reminding people to be mindful of security following a series of burglaries and thefts from vehicles over the last two of weeks. Vehicles targeted include those parked up driveways, on street fronts, and in remote areas on walking and running tracks, often with valuables left

A Southland student has added wandering bison to her list of potential traffic hazards when driving overseas. Kayla Calder, 17, who’s from Dipton, has just returned from a three-week TeenAg exchange to the United States. “It was the trip of a lifetime. I had an amazing time. It was great to experien

On 29 July at approximately 11.30am a Bond Contracts truck and a trailer was involved in a crash on the Winton Hedgehope Highway, Springhills. Police have been advised that the driver of a Suzuki Swift car stopped and assisted at the scene until Police arrived. The driver left the scene before Polic

Concerns are growing for the wellbeing of 72-year-old John MacGregor, who has been missing from his home in Edendale, Southland, since the early hours of Sunday 21 July. John was last seen wearing a dark multi-coloured knee length dressing gown. John’s blue Toyota Corona has been located stuck at th

Telecom company Spark will pay competitor Sky Television to set up a new pop-up channel specifically for the Rugby World Cup, but said it was not an admission it could not deliver over its own streaming channel. Spark wants a 36 hour delay should the Commerce Commission approve the merger between Sk

A person is in a critical condition after a rubbish truck rolled on State Highway 96 in Southland this morning, blocking the road. Emergency services were called shortly before 11.30am at the highway’s intersection Chisholm Rd and State Highway 96 between Winton and Hedgehope. A police spokesperson