Southland

Gore residents have a month to shape how their district grows. Gore District Council is seeking feedback on proposed changes to its Subdivision and Land Development Bylaw, with consultation running from June 1 to July 3. The bylaw sets standards for how land is subdivided and developed across the district,

Gore District Council wants residents to weigh in on the rules that govern their water supply. The Water Services Bylaw is up for review as part of the council's regular statutory cycle. The bylaw sets out who is responsible for what when it comes to drinking water — from

Southland secondary school students will benefit from increased trades training opportunities through the expansion of school Trades Academies. Budget 2026 increased the number of Trades Academy places from 10,000 to 20,000 over the next four years, with this jump in place numbers funded by savings from cancellation of

Police want to hear from anyone who saw a vehicle deliberately driven at pedestrians in Balclutha last month. A person was struck and moderately injured when a car with four occupants was driven intentionally towards groups of people on Clyde Street, near Lanark Street, around 2am on Sunday May 17.

New government funding for wilding conifers will not solve Southland's problems. Environment Southland biosecurity team leader plants Jolie Hazley welcomed the $79 million nationwide boost announced this week but warned it had limits at a committee meeting last Wednesday. "I'm not expecting that any new

Environment Southland is buying hybrid utes despite one breaking down during testing in remote hill country. Last week a committee approved replacing up to four vehicles with three BYD Shark 6 plug-in hybrids, even after a test drive went wrong. Hydrology specialist Michael McDonald was testing the ute when its

Gore District Council has resolved two code of conduct complaints against councillors. The complaints were dealt with internally and are now closed, ending weeks of community speculation about what had happened behind closed doors. Mayor Ben Bell said the process worked as designed. "The Code of Conduct exists for

New Zealand added 4333 jobs in April, but economists warn the gains probably won't last. Stats NZ data showed filled job numbers rose 0.2 percent between March and April — the second consecutive month of growth. Compared to a year earlier, job numbers were up 0.5 percent,