A 13-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever has clocked up a whopping 700,000km over the years.

The Otago Regional Councillor who lost his seat to Michael Laws by five votes is seeking a recount.

A man dressed as a clown and reportedly brandishing a machete has been arrested.

A 20-year-old man appeared in Dunedin District Court this morning following a police pursuit from Nelson to Waikouaiti yesterday.

Sparks were flying off a freight train moments before a wagon derailed, partially blocking SH1 in Clinton, a witness says.

'Why don't they shoot the bloody thing?' asks angry Oamaru resident.

Former Whanganui mayor Michael Laws has won a seat Otago Regional Council by five votes.

A Dunedin man who streaked at an All Black game and "mounted a goal post" is hoping to dodge a conviction for his nude dash.

WATCH: The Station building was hauled 400m by crane and truck from a private Lauder property and placed beside the Otago Central Rail Trail.

Massey University released its quarterly Home Affordability Report index today.

The mother of missing South Island teen Yuri Santana says her heart is "bleeding" for the 17-year-old.

Cell-tower data presented to a Dunedin court has raised questions over the location of a 21-year-old cleaner accused at the time of an alleged murder.

Otago's dreamland is best seen without the summer crowds, writes Mike Yardley.

Police executing a search warrant this morning discovered more than 40 cannabis plants and a large amount of methamphetamine items.

Samples taken from clippings of victim's fingernails detected DNA 430 times more likely to have come from the accused, court hears.

There are concerns for 17-year-old Yuri Santana, who hasn't been seen for a week.

Levels of arsenic higher than the acceptable level for drinking water have been found in the Hawea Flat Kindergarten's supply.

The Kurow community has lost a second sportsman in tragic circumstances within 17 months.

Police say they have arrested a 55-year-old man and charged him with arson after a house fire last night.

A 21-year-old Dunedin cleaner accused of murdering his boss allegedly told a workmate he wanted to burn the victim's family in front of her.

Elisabeth Easther explores a Central Otago hamlet, population 300, where newcomers are welcomed with a community dinner.

Otago University scientists have taken a first step towards what could eventually be a Keytruda-type drug to fight cervical cancer. They

Neighbours of a Queensberry farm are concerned about earthworks ''obliterating'' a stream...

Police are hunting for two men who fled on foot after the car they were in crashed into a power pole in the Dunedin suburb of Concord this evening.

At first she thought the body was a rubbish bag, mother of accused told the court today, before realising it was her colleague.

Two days after a Dunedin woman was found dead outside her workplace last December, the blood-soaked hammer allegedly used to bludgeon her was found in a bin outside a colleague's home.

A group of golfers playing through the mist at the St Clair Golf Club on Saturday morning came up against an unusual hazard.

A float carrying two horses has crashed in the Waitaki District this afternoon. Emergency crews were called to an area near Hampden-Palmerston

A Dunedin cleaner beat his boss to death with a hammer because she had complained about his conduct at work, the Crown says.

Shareholders of a Central Otago winery are fighting over a share sale.