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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

ACT wants disruptive students removed from classrooms — and is proposing a law to make it happen. ACT candidate Paul Henry announced the policy on Sunday, pitching it as straightforward: if a student disrupts the class and won't stop, the teacher directs them out. Refuse, and consequences follow. "

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

A Winton-raised military chaplain has been recognised for building a support system for SAS families that the New Zealand Defence Force has now adopted across its operations. Chaplain Class 3 Rich Lander received a Chief of Army Commendation in Auckland last week, following four years attached to the 1st New

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

Some kids at Invercargill Middle School now wait to see if their favourite resident is available before they'll start reading. That's not a bad outcome for a literacy programme. Enliven Southland has launched a pilot initiative — Enliven Literacy with Legends — pairing Walmsley House care home residents

Night 'n Day is backing the people who make harness racing run. The convenience store chain has signed a five-year sponsorship deal with Southern Harness Racing, becoming the official sponsor of the organisation's Starters and Starters Crew from August 1, 2026 through to July 31, 2031. The

New Zealand's long-troubled Holidays Act is finally being replaced, after the Employment Leave Bill passed its third and final reading in Parliament this week. Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden described the reform as the delivery of something workers and businesses have been asking governments to