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.

An ambulance officer is being treated for moderate injuries after an ambulance hit ice and slid off the road on the Southern Motorway near Dunedin tonight.

The 15-year hospital food service contract with the Compass Group had to be renegotiated because so few DHBs had joined, it has emerged.

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.

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.

Pavlina Pizova, who survived a month in a remote hut on the Routeburn Track, broke down in tears as she spoke about her fight for survival.

This lovely spot comes with barrels of history, some of it millions of years old, as Elisabeth Easther discovers.

Chinese national Limin Ma has admitted causing the death of Dunedin man Riley Baker in a head-on crash when he crossed the centre line to view the ocean.

An Otago Uni student who discovered four unknown women trashing his Hyde St flat yesterday says crime on the North Dunedin party street is "getting worse".

Convicted killer Colin Bouwer will remain behind bars after requesting parole be declined at his latest hearing.

Chinese national Limin Ma has pleaded guilty over the crash which killed young Dunedin photographer Riley Baker.

A bus driver's spontaneous detour has come to a unplanned halt at a hairpin turn in Dunedin's Northeast Valley.

Diana Plater enjoys some of the best Central Otago has to offer.

A dairy farmer under financial pressure despite working 100-hour weeks has admitted breaking the tails of nearly 50 cows.

Kea researcher Paul van Klink has raised the issue that giving Keas mountain cafe food is damaging the birds' health.

Double the average number of meningitis cases have been identified in the South this year as authorities call for vigilance following the death of an Otago Polytechnic student.

The parents of a 20-year-old student, who died tragically at the weekend from meningitis, have warned people to be wary of the disease's symptoms.

Close contacts of an Otago Polytechnic student who died at the weekend from meningitis have been offered antibiotics to reduce their risk of catching the disease.

Footage of a kiwi apparently "dancing" around a feeder has been posted online by staff at the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, near Dunedin.