Southland

1pm Update: State Highway 8/Tarras-Cromwell Road has reopened after a truck crash overnight that closed the road near the Lindis River Bridge. People are asked to take care travelling on this route. ends A crashed truck is blocking State Highway 8 between Tarras and Cromwell this morning, with contractors

A Winton health worker's three decades of dedication to rural maternity care has been recognised with a surprise Community Service Award. Debbie McDougall, service manager at Winton Maternity Centre, was presented with the award by Southland District Council and the Oreti Community Board on Thursday in a ceremony

Southland Girls' High School has appointed John Grogan as its new principal, making him the first permanent male principal in the school's nearly 150-year history. Mr Grogan, who has been Acting Principal since the start of the year and was previously Deputy Principal at the school, was

Southland dairy farmer and Federated Farmers President Jason Herrick will contest the Southland electorate for New Zealand First at the next general election. Herrick, who has been President of Southland Federated Farmers since 2024, brings more than 30 years of farming experience to his political bid. The dairy farmer and

A Southland chaplain is preparing for what he describes as a "meaningful" deployment to Turkey for this year's Anzac Day Gallipoli commemoration. Royal New Zealand Navy Chaplain Class 3 Rich Lander, who grew up in Winton, is among 38 New Zealand Defence Force personnel heading to

Demolition work is under way at the Gore Campground after investigations revealed asbestos and significant contamination in several buildings on the site. Gore District Council says the work is necessary to address health, safety and regulatory risks associated with the aging structures. The former house and office, ablution block and

Invercargill timber processor Niagara Sawmilling Company has launched a $115 million expansion that will more than double its production capacity and create new jobs for the region. The expansion includes construction of a new sawmill at the company's Kennington site, currently being built in Canada and due to

The southern New Zealand dotterel population has surged by 52 percent following a successful aerial predator control operation on Stewart Island. The annual bird count at Southland beaches last week revealed the dotterel population has grown from 105 in April last year to an estimated 160 - the biggest annual