Otago

The environment and Māori identity were hot button topics among rangatahi at this year's Ngā Manu Kōrero speech competition.

As the clean-up continues in Queenstown following the recent heavy rain, there are concerns over potential damage to graves in the town's cemetery.

MetService says heavy rain which caused widespread flooding and damage in Southland and Otago is now making its way up the country.

The national water regulator says a boil water notice must stay in place for one of Queenstown's water treatment plants until it is upgraded or switches to another supply as cases of cryptosporidium…

Cafes, bars and restaurants are scrambling to find ways to remain open without using tap water due to Queenstown's cryptosporidium outbreak. Audio

Health officials have still not found the source of a cryptosporidium outbreak in Queenstown and say there is no clear pattern to food or water. Audio

Queenstown restaurant owners are angry about the delay in being warned about an outbreak of cryptosporidium in the tourist town. Audio

Queenstown and Frankton residents are being told to boil their water after an outbreak of illness from the parasite cryptosporidium.

The South Dunedin basin - home to more than 13,000 people - is at risk from climate change, flooding and rising groundwater. Audio

Sophie Barker says recent weeks have been crushing, and an independent investigator is being brought in to sort out the mess at the council.

Dunedin mayor Jules Radich says council will replace his deputy as soon as possible, after Sophie Barker resigned from the role citing difficulties in working with him. Audio

Sophie Barker's decision to step down from the role follows a tumultuous few days after she and another councillor filed a complaint about Mayor Jules Radich.

E-bikes with pedals and motors up to 300W are allowed on the tracks, but not the more powerful e-motorcycles. Audio

A unique policing programme in Central Otago is producing positive results for children at risk of offending.

Dunedin Hospital will have to stop training junior cancer doctors because it does not have enough senior staff. Audio

The shooting and killing of a New Zealand sea lion near Dunedin is upsetting and horrific, the Department of Conservation says.

A proposal to buy at-risk homes will provide more certainty and reassurance to residents, a council project group says. Audio

The mayor of Dunedin says the council is making plans to buy properties in the flood-prone south of the city.

A Central Otago fruit grower has been fined for failing to keep its staff safe after a worker needed three fingers to be partly amputated.