The Department of Conservation is investigating the poisoning of 10 black-billed gulls in Te Anau. Five of the native birds were found sick on the foreshore in January and were euthanised. Another five had already died. Department of Conservation Te Anau operations manager John Lucas said testing later revealed the

National Member of Parliament for New Plymouth David MacLeod took a whistle-stop tour of the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) campus recently to view the future-focused facilities. Mr MacLeod took up an invitation from the Minister for Vocational Education and MP for Invercargill, Hon Penny Simmonds, to visit SIT’s

An 11-strong cohort of athletes has been accepted into the 2026 Foundation Year of the ILT Academy Southland programme. The two-year programme, which provides a range of supports for promising young Southland sportspeople including strength and conditioning, mental skills, athlete life and nutrition, is based at ILT Stadium Southland. ILT

Strong demand for specialist dementia care in Southland has seen Enliven Southland’s expanded Iona dementia unit reach full capacity within its first year, underlining the urgent need for more psychogeriatric beds across the region. The six additional beds, introduced in March last year, were quickly taken up. Within the

After pricing up replacing my old courtyard pavers with new charcoal ones, the cost was enough to make me think twice. I needed a Plan B. Dean at Wrens Invercargill on Yarrow Street came to the rescue, suggesting I look at staining them instead with Novex Easy Seal Concrete Stain/

Two new labrador puppies from Invercargill have recently joined the K9 Medical Detection bowel cancer detection squad. Each puppy costs $85,000 to raise from 8 weeks to 12 months when they are ready to start cancer odour detection work. The Invercargill Licensing Trust (ILT) is one of the southern

Helen Henderson will return to the main entertainment stage when the 2026 Bluff Oyster & Food Festival takes place in Bluff on Saturday 23 May. Henderson, a singer songwriter, hails from Invercargill but her musical career spans from London to Los Angeles and Muscle Shoals, Alabama on the banks of

John Beckenridge killed himself and his 11-year-old stepson in a vengeful act against his estranged wife, a coroner has ruled. John Beckenridge, left, and Mike Zhou-Beckenridge. Photo: SUPPLIED Coroner Marcus Elliot said the Queenstown man was angry, self-righteous and vengeful when he drove his car off a cliff in the