Community

The Government has announced a significant restructuring of disability support services in New Zealand. By October 2024, the responsibility for delivering these services will shift from the Ministry of Disabled People to the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). This move follows a critical review t

NOTE: This story has been updated to include comments from Environment Southland Chairman Nicol Horrell Chair and Invercargill City Mayor Nobby Clark. Southland District Mayor Rob Scott has proposed a significant change to the region’s local government structure, advocating for a shift from four cou

A trial underway to improve vehicle access in Invercargill for those with disabilities appears to be a New Zealand first. Resident Jack Lovett-Hurst spoke to the Infrastructure and Projects Committee on Wednesday about his struggle finding enough space to unload into the disability parking in the ci

Installation of the 19th century C class carriage C100 in its permanent home in the Lumsden railway precinct moves the trust a step closer to completing a unique heritage train static display in the northern Southland town. Southland Machine Hire contractors Roger McCracken and Pete Metcalfe carried

After years of financial mismanagement, Oranga Tamariki is finally taking control of its funding for external service providers, according to Children’s Minister Karen Chhour. “This year I asked Oranga Tamariki to make sure the hundreds of service providers having their contracts reviewed, were prop

Bluff resident Marama Mako-Fowler is a relieved traveler after an epic whirlwind trip to the east coast of the USA to connect up some missing dots on her family tree. Marama’s story has been just been shown on the TVNZ show My Family Mystery. In short Marama along with her now departed mother and si

Presbyterian Support Southland (PSS) is set to upgrade Peacehaven’s Iona dementia care unit, adding much-needed beds for the elderly in Southland. This project aims to address the growing demand for dementia care driven by an aging population and rising life expectancy. “With an aging population and

Invercargill City’s CCTV infrastructure will require ongoing operational costs for data storage and licensing that comes at a significant cost. Cr Ian Pottinger requested further information under the Local Government Official Information Meetings Act for council to provide a breakdown of the expend