Latest fromOtago

Burglar may have eaten rat poison
Police fears for thief who broke into a golf club after poison found scattered at crime scene.

Firefighter: Just doing my job, mate
He battled up to 500C heat and 18m flames to save a house and, for his efforts, was transferred to hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.

'Good chance' of tracing Otago Uni threat
Police are ''following a number of lines of inquiry'' as they tried to track down the person responsible for an online shooting threat at the University of Otago.

Homes burning in Dunedin fire
Fire crews are battling serious blazes in Dunedin and Dunback. Two homes in Saddle Hill are burning and a third is threatened. Some residents have been evacuated.

Homes evacuated after wild fire
Flights are at a standstill at Dunedin Airport and a large fire grew rapidly out of control this morning as strong winds batter Otago.

Shooter threat: Cops' prank warning
Police warn students told that "small jokes" at Otago University will be taken seriously following online shooting threat.

Otago uni defies shooting threat
Police are warning students and staff to be vigilant as Otago University opens for ''business as usual'' following online threat.

Strong winds cause power outage
Strong winds have severed power lines in Dunedin, cutting power to about 50 Port Chalmers residents this morning.

Top town criers to challenge for world title
Before Twitter, rolling 24 hours news channels, and even before the advent of newspapers, town criers were the original bearers of news - good, bad, or otherwise.

The Kiwi who helped make history
Japan's try-scoring hero in their shock win over the Spingboks was Karne Hesketh, who played rugby for Otago from 2006 to 2010.

Debris found in search for missing boaties
Searchers have found debris today after two friends went missing at sea on Wednesday.

Teen sparks police chase in Otago
A teenager allegedly led police on a 40 minute pursuit through central Otago last night.

Bottle could be link to missing boaties
Searchers looking for two missing boaties off the Southland coast have found a drink bottle that may belong to one of the pair.

Search continues for missing boaties
Two friends missing at sea off the Catlins coast were experienced sea-goers, loved in their community, with one a land search and rescue member.

Police name missing boaties
Police have named 77-year-old Whetuki Sam Kopua and 60-year-old Matekino Lucy Burling, both of Owaka, as the people missing in the Catlin area.

Dunedin forest fire under control
A large forest fire south of Dunedin, near the small village of Waipori Falls, is believed to be under control.

Rural deliveries to be reduced
New Zealand Post is pulling out of six-day rural delivery in parts of Otago and Southland.

TPP protest escalates in Dunedin
Protesters jostled with police tonight as they tried to disrupt a National Party fundraising event in Dunedin.

Police slam 'stupidity' of drunk Otago motorists
Otago police coastal area prevention manager Inspector Mel Aitken said 17 people were caught driving over the breath alcohol limit between Friday and Sunday.

No more fattening up hunted animals
Hunters tempted to ''farm'' wild deer or pigs before hunting competitions are likely to be out of luck at a competition later this month.

Queenstown: Peak performance
James Russell is amazed during a trip to Queenstown to discover that since he last grasped poles, Kiwi skifields have lifted their game higher than the Matterhorn.

Driver inches away from train crash
A motorist last night spoke of cheating death after his ute accidently rolled into the path of a 900-tonne goods train.

Patients awoken in 'disturbing' burglary
But the would-be thief, who was only able to find loose change, left behind a bloody calling card in the building's reception area after being cut while breaking in.

Tourist forced to wait over jail appeal
A tourist driver who killed an Oamaru 5-year-old girl in a crash will have to wait another two weeks for the result of an appeal against his jail sentence.

Uber offers small taster to South Island
Taxi company Uber says it has no plans to launch its services in Otago and Southland just yet - but that hasn't stopped them offering sweeteners to the public today.

Ice cold in Alex
Life as a short-term resident of a beautiful Central Otago town suits Roger Hall fine.

Motorists urged 'take caution' on roads
Police are warning motorists in Otago and Southland to be careful in icy conditions this morning after overnight snowfalls.

Concern over rise in animal drownings
Animal rights advocates have condemned a ''disturbing'' rise in the number of forced animal drownings this year.