Business

Invercargill City Council has successfully switched its payroll system to a cloud-based platform, processing its first live pay run for around 550 employees in early July 2026. The new system, built on TechnologyOne's Human Resources and Payroll platform and implemented by Australian technology firm Atturra, replaces a patchwork

Southland is getting a critical minerals and green hydrogen plant, backed by $15 million in government funding. Christchurch-based Aspiring Materials has secured the Regional Infrastructure Fund allocation to build a $31 million commercial facility in the region — its first at full commercial scale, following a successful pilot plant in Christchurch.

Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds has welcomed a decision to fast-track approval of the Hananui Aquaculture Project off Stewart Island (Rakiura), saying it will provide a massive boost for the local economy. "Once it's fully operational, this aquaculture project will produce over 14000 tonnes of salmon per year,

CareerFest Southland is already underway, and if you missed the school sessions today, there's still time to get along tonight. The free public session runs from 5pm to 7pm this evening at ILT Stadium Southland, with a second day on Friday from 9:45am to 1pm. Schools have

Te Anau Airport Manapōuri has been losing money since Southland District Council bought it in 2002. Whether that changes soon depends on what comes out of an RFP process that closed on June 12. The six-week request for proposals, managed by development agency Great South, sought private capital and expertise

When Lauryn Pinckney lost her first apprenticeship to redundancy, she nearly wrote off her chances of finding another one. Instead, she ended up somewhere better. Pinckney, who grew up on a farm near Edendale, graduated top of her class from Southern Institute of Technology's heavy automotive engineering programme

Twelve Southland businesses are in the running for this year's export awards, with the 2026 finalists announced across three categories. Export Southland chair Jamie May said the applications showed what the region's export community is actually capable of. "Southland businesses have never let distance limit

Hospice South is opening a new retail and community hub in Invercargill this weekend, and chief executive Pete Thompson says it signals the start of a broader rebuild of how the organisation connects with the region. The Reloved by Hospice South community hub opens officially at 9.45am on Saturday