News Desk

Invercargill shoppers have scored big after a city centre promotion attracted more than 10,000 entries and boosted local business in April. The Visit, Shop & Explore campaign, run by Great South and Invercargill City Council, offered a $3,000 prize pool to encourage people to shop locally. Seven winners

The cost of hiring an out-of-town expert for Invercargill City Council's water committee has nearly doubled from initial estimates. The council originally reported spending $12,268 to recruit Nelson-based Lee Babe as an independent member of its water committee, but has now revealed the final bill reached $23,

The current National-ACT-NZ First coalition government is strongly positioned to win a second term, according to the latest NZ Herald-Motu Research Poll of Polls. The research shows the coalition has an 88.3% probability of forming the next government, with combined support of 50.2% compared to the opposition'

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has declared the government's fees-free university scheme a complete failure, announcing it will be scrapped in this month's budget. The policy, which covered students' final year of tertiary study, will end for new cohorts from next year, though current final-year students

Vehicle inspection requirements are set to change dramatically, with most cars moving to two-yearly Warrant of Fitness checks instead of annual inspections, saving Southland motorists hundreds of dollars each year. Transport Ministers Chris Bishop and James Meager announced the reforms yesterday, saying New Zealand's current inspection system is

The Ascot Park Hotel Southern Steel have claimed top spot on the ANZ Premiership table after a commanding 61-48 victory over Waikato Bay of Plenty Avis Magic in Tauranga last night. The Steel's fourth consecutive win came despite early pressure from the Magic, who were desperate for their

Four young people are facing charges after stealing a car in Dunedin and using it to steal petrol from service stations across the city. Police received reports on Monday night that a Nissan had been stolen from a residential address in Caversham. Throughout Tuesday, the stolen vehicle was spotted conducting

Invercargill City Council is looking to introduce number plate recognition technology for parking enforcement as part of efforts to modernise operations and improve safety for staff. The council has issued a tender for vehicle-mounted technology that would work alongside handheld devices, following reports last year that parking wardens sometimes needed