Southland

The fire burnt had environmental and financial consequences in an internationally recognised conservation area.

Southland police have also impounded two vehicles after investigating reports they were travelling at 150km/h.

A man in Invercargill has been arrested after choosing to rob perhaps the worst possible victims - a group of elite cyclists.

A spate of toxic algae appearances in Southland has prompted warnings at rivers across the region.

Finance is being sought to provide a solar energy farm for Stewart Island Rakiura residents.

Toxic algae has been found in the Waihopai River in Southland, just upstream of Queen's Drive.

The government has been accused of a "blatant disregard for transparency" as unanswered questions continue to mount on Dunedin hospital.

Efforts to target the issue with a new approach have come up empty-handed, a community board chair says.

Algal bloom can damage ecosystems and be harmful if touched or consumed.

The Southland District Council has publicly shamed the "brainless numpty" who vandalised Riverton's new $620,000 public toilets.

The collision at a home in Gore happened on New Year's Day.

A handful of crashes have slowed traffic throughout the country as many return home from holiday travels.

A southern council says it needs to "draw the line" with a community over its old dumpsite.

The Christmas street lights will shine for the last time this year as decorations are deteriorating and won't be replaced because council want to keep the next rate increase low.

Invercargill councillors voted to proceed with a short-term consent which would allow the small town's wastewater to continue under current conditions for a further two years.

A cyclist is reported to have serious injuries.

A teen who held his victims hostage at a remote Southland farmhouse with an airgun has been sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.

Drivers are being urged to take extra care on South Island roads, and warned that roads could close, as heavy rain and wind warnings spread orange and yellow across the MetService map.

A southern council is defending its $34,000 spend on a wallaby hunt, despite never finding the rogue animal.

A southern mayor fears lives could be at risk amid a funding shortfall for his region's roads.