An international student has avoided conviction for starting a nuisance fire, despite admitting lighting the blaze.

A 33-year-old psychology student has admitted leaving a trail of destruction following a drunken wild ride through Mornington last month.

A former North Otago star rugby player charged in a fatal crash in Hakataramea Valley Rd, near Kurow, in May last year has pleaded guilty to all charges.

A wooden fence post fell off the back of a truck and went through the windscreen of a vehicle the driver was passing.

About 100 farmers in Otago and Southland were forced to dump milk over the weekend in the aftermath of the milk silo collapse at Fonterra's Edendale site.

Four Queenstown men are lucky to be alive after their kayaks overturned and they were swept out to sea off the Otago coast.

Police were called to reports of disorder following a large student party in the Dunedin Botanic Garden yesterday.

Nine ducklings survived a deadly dash across a motorway yesterday afternoon. Their mother wasn't so lucky.

A judge has labelled an Arrowtown road rage incident as an "appalling piece of behaviour" while a couple was assaulted while their kids were in the car.

On an insider tour of Dunedin's hidden treasures, Eleanor Ainge Roy discovers the other Edinburgh deserves a second glance.

COMMENT: I think we have a winner for Lawyer of the Year. The award goes to the wizard who side-stepped jail time for Nikolas Delegat.

The sentence given to Nikolas Delegat for assaulting a policewoman has been widely condemned.

Air accident investigators have interviewed the five passengers on board a helicopter that rolled over on landing near Queenstown yesterday afternoon.

The police officer who was knocked unconscious by a rich-lister's son in an alcohol-fuelled attack was also attacked by a young man five years ago.

The rich-lister's son who punched a female police officer unconscious has today apologised for his "bad decision in the heat of the moment".

The female police officer punched in the face by the son of a rich-lister who escaped a jail sentence is still being helped by colleagues on her road back to work, 18 months after the attack.

Parts of the country are experiencing balmy summer-like temperatures as the mercury soared above 20C at lunchtime today.

A Dunedin mother fears for her daughter's safety after she was knocked unconscious by the same teenager in two assaults in as many months.

Mount Aspiring College's principal says the school will try to continue with business as usual.

Two 13-year-old schoolgirls 'had a scrap'' at McDonald's Restaurant in George St yesterday afternoon, police said.

The Arrowtown couple left homeless after their rental property went up in smoke on Friday have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the Wakatipu.

A Mt Aspiring College pupil is being treated for meningococcal disease in Dunedin Hospital.

A mourning family is preparing for the possibility the man who pleaded guilty to causing a crash which killed Dunedin man Riley Baker may never serve prison time.

Up to three dead cows have mysteriously washed up on a Dunedin beach this weekend.

The sleepy hamlet of Tapanui is a film star in its own right writes Elisabeth Easther.

From eco tours to distillery visits, there's plenty to fill a holiday here.

The mother of murdered Owaka teen Kylie Smith says she is "absolutely delighted" to have five years off from having to argue to keep

A man who drank a bottle of bourbon before driving his vehicle to a police station to talk to police was jailed for six months.

A student is held in custody after being charged with possession of amphetamine and steroids while on bail awaiting trial for other drugs charges.

The man who raped and killed Owaka teenager Kylie Smith will remain behind bars for at least another five years.