News

Splash Palace closed a pool nearly once a week over the past year — three times more often than the council's own target allows. A report to the finance and policy committee revealed 47 unplanned closures at the Invercargill facility in the year to June 2026, well above the

A national grid failure and a storm hit Southland at the same time on Sunday, knocking out power to around 25,000 customers for roughly two hours at midday. Transpower, which owns the national grid, experienced a significant issue at lunchtime that cut supply to most of Southland. That fault

Firefighters have been battling a large vegetation blaze on Oreti Beach since just after 3am. The fire stretches roughly 600 metres along the beachfront. Six pump trucks, two water tankers and additional support vehicles are on scene — a significant deployment for a fire that has now been burning for more

2pm Update from Powernet: The Transpower issue appears to be resolved, so many of you will have your power restored now and very soon. Please be aware that there will still be some people affected by storm damage, which may take longer to restore. We will update soon with further

I'm Katie, and I'm MAD, M-A-D. I mean, I have self-diagnosed Mother's Attention Deficit. More specifically, a unique and rare branch called CAD — Cooking Attention Deficit. Because of my condition, I've been almost entirely banned from the kitchen. The task causes procrastination

Fog cannons, not fire, sent two crews to Noel Leeming in Invercargill on Friday morning. Fire and Emergency was notified of an alarm activation at the store at 8:32am on August 22. Two crews from Invercargill station responded. The culprit: accidental activation of fog cannons. Crews cleared the smoke

The grounds around Invercargill's new regional museum are being reshaped, with landscaping works now under way as the Museum of Southland moves closer to its 2027 opening. Pathways, planting, seating and gathering spaces are all part of an exterior programme designed to pull the museum, Queens Park and

Gore District Council has dropped its support for the Government's Head Start local government reforms — not because it wants amalgamation, but because it wants residents to get a vote. The decision, made Tuesday, shifts the district's position toward the Local Government Commission process, which requires any