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

Southland patients have a new diagnostic scanner — and it does more than one job. Southland Hospital's radiology department has installed a GE Aurora SPECT-CT scanner, combining nuclear medicine and CT imaging technology in a single machine. It's already in use. Health New Zealand general manager of

Around 440,000 New Zealanders aren't enrolled to vote — and the deadline to fix that is October 25. The Electoral Commission is posting 3.6 million enrolment packs to enrolled voters from August 17 to 22, ahead of the 2026 General Election on November 7. The packs let