Southland

A Gore district councillor's use of the word "gay" to describe a staff presentation cost ratepayers $8200 plus GST to investigate. Councillor Donna Bruce made the remark to fellow councillor Robert McKenzie during a workshop in April. McKenzie lodged a code of conduct complaint. The investigation

The Eastern Southland Gallery has taken the top prize at the 2026 Southland Creative Arts Awards, with its exhibition of paintings and prints about the Mataura River named Supreme Winner on Saturday night. The exhibition — a series of 26 works by artist Jo Ogier — explores the ecological and geographical landscape

The defibrillator at Five Rivers Café had been sitting dormant — battery flat, pads expired, locked inside a building that closes at night. It's back now, and anyone can reach it. New café owner Emily Todd discovered earlier this year that an AED had previously been donated to the

Ground has broken on what is being billed as New Zealand's largest data centre project, with construction crews already on site at Makarewa, north of Invercargill. HEB Construction — a New Zealand company and subsidiary of global construction giant VINCI Construction — has been appointed to deliver the horizontal works

Southland's recycling contamination rate has dropped, but 811 tonnes of recyclables still ended up in landfill last year. That's $309,639 worth of waste — at the current general waste fee — that could have been recycled. The contamination rate across kerbside recycling and public drop-off fell to

Megan Whitehead is coming for the record she used to hold. The Southland shearer will attempt to break the women's world solo nine-hours strongwool lambs shearing record on December 18 at Grant Brothers' 'Tin House' property on Otapiri-Mandeville Road near Gore — the same property where

Southland District Council has about 32,000km of water pipes — and doesn't know where all of them are. Strategic manager water and waste Kevin Johnson made the admission at a council meeting on Wednesday, when he updated elected members on the district's water services network. Asked

Sixteen-year-old Invercargill race car driver, Nieko Scoles, has claimed the 2026 Toyota Winter Series title in his first full foray into a national level motorsport series. Scoles finished first in the Winter Series and second in the Trophy/Rookie series in an impressive campaign fought out over four rounds in