Christmas dip less crowded
Christmas dip less crowded
A chilly start to the day and a lack of overseas tourists meant a huge drop in the number of Christmas morning swimmers in Lake Wanaka this year.
Kerrie Waterworth
Broadcaster among nine council candidates
Broadcaster among nine council candidates
Nine candidates, including Newstalk ZB broadcaster Marcus Lush, are vying for the spot on the Invercargill City Council left vacant by the resignation of former deputy mayor Toni Biddle in October.
Farmer thought he had extinguished fire but ‘it had started up and bolted’
Farmer thought he had extinguished fire but ‘it had started up and bolted’
A grass fire which burnt 20 hectares in the Cromwell basin at the weekend, prompting a stark warning from fire chiefs, was caused by a spark created when a tractor hit a stone.
Caregivers warned over supplying minors with alcohol
Caregivers warned over supplying minors with alcohol
Police in Wanaka are warning parents and caregivers they could face fines of up to $2000 if they supply alcohol to under-age teenagers and do not supervise them during the Christmas-New Year period.
Holiday spot now home for manager
Holiday spot now home for manager
Making Wanaka home rather than a favourite holiday spot was the clincher for taking up a new council role.
Request to take care near weed matting
Request to take care near weed matting
Boaties, tourism operators and other users of Lake Wanaka are being asked to avoid damaging biodegradable matting installed to control lakeweed.
Santa ‘all good’ and heading to his grotto
Santa ‘all good’ and heading to his grotto
It's official!
Cake, new manager mark 20 years
Cake, new manager mark 20 years
Twenty years of reducing, re-using and recycling Wanaka’s waste is being marked by a day of cake and celebrations at Wastebusters today.
Aurora revenue cap possible: regulator
Aurora revenue cap possible: regulator
The Commerce Commission has the power to intervene over the share each region in Otago pays in lines charges to pay for Aurora to fix its dilapidated network.
A quieter time for Omarama this year
A quieter time for Omarama this year
Two years ago the tiny tourist town of Omarama was suffering from overtourism, with increasing numbers of international and domestic visitors putting pressure on its limited resources and...
Building workers urged to seek help
Building workers urged to seek help
Southern men working in the construction industry and suffering from mental health issues are being advised to speak up and seek help.
Strategic approach to improving water quality on farms essential
Strategic approach to improving water quality on farms essential
Freshwater scientist Chris Arbuckle has had a career in freshwater science and policy and leadership but a few years ago he returned home to Wanaka where he “fell in love with water” during holidays spent by the lake as a child.
Collaborating to create multiscapes
Collaborating to create multiscapes
Researchers at Lincoln University and experts from WAI Wanaka and the Alpine Lakes Research and Education Centre are collaborating to transform degenerating landscapes into what they now call healthy ‘‘multiscapes’’.
‘Priceless’ year in Central Otago
‘Priceless’ year in Central Otago
Award-winning children’s author Kate De Goldi describes about how the Central Otago landscape and climate shaped her and her photographer husband Bruce Foster’s work during their year as artists-in-residence in Alexandra.
Emergency vehicle fleet grows
Emergency vehicle fleet grows
St John’s new Wanaka first response vehicle will mean faster response times and better health outcomes for patients in the area, the organisation says.
Man bailed under curfew after meth, gun charges
Man bailed under curfew after meth, gun charges
A man has been bailed under curfew conditions after appearing in court on drugs and firearms charges following a two-month operation in the Wanaka area.
Popular track may reopen soon
Popular track may reopen soon
One of the most popular day walks in the Mount Aspiring Park, closed since July 2019 due to erosion undercutting the track, could reopen this summer.
Karearea monitoring project taking off
Karearea monitoring project taking off
The knowledge gap in our scientific understanding of New Zealand’s only native falcon species in the alpine environment is starting to narrow thanks to the Cardrona Karearea Conservation...
Breeding behind schedule
Breeding behind schedule
It may be spring but Wanaka’s great crested grebe population is having the latest start to the breeding season since the first year the Lake Wanaka marina grebes project began.
Ultrasound experience honoured
Ultrasound experience honoured
A Wanaka sonographer who has worked in ultrasound for more than 40 years has been given three separate honours in the past month.