Councils

Major flood protection work has begun on the Mataura River at Gore's road and rail bridge crossing as part of a $50 million flood resilience programme across Southland. Environment Southland launched the project this week, marking the first construction work under the latest round of government co-funding for

Great South is working to understand how best to support a range of new aquaculture projects across the region. General manager regional strategy Bobbi Brown shared a report to council’s Infrastructure and Growth Committee on Tuesday. “There has been quite a few developments in recent times, which is quite

Bus shelter improvements are on the way after Invercargill City Council completed a review of all 53 shelters across the city. The review was sparked by community organisation South Alive, which raised concerns about deterioration and maintenance issues at a council committee meeting in February. Council staff visited every bus

Invercargill City Council will charge $20 for property file requests from Monday 11 May, as it moves the service online to handle growing demand. The council receives around 500 property file and Land Information Memorandum (LIM) requests monthly, with 6000 requests processed last year alone. "Last year, Council received

Southland District Council has been ordered by the Ombudsman to overhaul its record keeping after refusing to release information about mayoral spending. The controversy began in August 2025 when media requested mayoral and chair spending records from all four Southland councils covering the previous term to July 31. While three

Southern councils have three months to come up with their own amalgamation plans or face government-imposed changes, ministers announced Tuesday. Local Government Minister Simon Watts and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop delivered the ultimatum, abandoning their previous approach of government-led Combined Territories Boards in favour of voluntary council groupings. "

Environment Southland has appointed Stephen Hall as its new Chief Executive, with the regional council veteran set to start on July 20. Hall brings more than 25 years of experience in resource management and regional councils to the role, including time at Bay of Plenty Regional Council and executive positions

Environment Southland is asking residents and businesses to share their views on proposed changes to council fees and charges for 2026-27. The council has completed a comprehensive review of its Fees and Charges Schedule, aiming to improve transparency and ensure alignment with current legislation and council bylaws. Most fees will