A chilly morning did not put off large numbers of athletes and their supporters attending Challenge Wanaka on Saturday. "The final numbers for this year’s event represent remarkable growth for Challenge Wānaka. Athletes completed a 1.9km swim in Lake Wānaka, a 90km bike ride towards Mount Aspiring National Park and a 21.1km run along the lakefront. Challenge athlete Jackie Connell, of Christchurch, said she had been practising rain, hail or shine to compete in the swim portion of Challenge Wanaka with her sons under the team name "Mum Fit and Sons". Anna Ramsey, of Balclutha, said she and her friends had entered the challenge "because it looked fun".

USA's players celebrate with their gold medals after the medals ceremony of the men's ice hockey event at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Photo / AFPUSA beat Canada to win men’s Olympic ice hockey gold for first time in 46 yearsUSA's players celebrate with their gold medals after the medals ceremony of the men's ice hockey event at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Photo / AFPThe United States have beaten Canada 2-1 to win men’s ice hockey gold at the Winter Olympics, the last medal up for grabs at the Milan-Cortina Games. Jack Hughes scored the winning goal in overtime to hand the US men their first Olympic triumph since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” win over the Soviet Union in Lake Placid. But chants of “USA, USA” soon rang out and they got louder when Matt Boldy gave the Americans a 1-0 lead in the first period.

Colette Palmer, left, and Jasmine Begg, of The Ink Pot, use a rolling library ladder at the independent romance bookstore’s opening in St Andrew St on Saturday. Dozens of people queued down St Andrew St on Saturday morning when The Ink Pot opened its doors for the first time, to the delight of owner Colette Palmer. "We’ve got some local Dunedin authors on the shelves, and it’s always such a pleasure when we scan their books through." Work by local crafters was also for sale — Ms Palmer said she wanted the store to feel like a "real Dunedin space". Eager readers line Dunedin’s St Andrew St for the opening of independent romance bookstore The Ink Pot.

US Secret Service agents shot and killed an armed man who illegally entered the premises of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. A deputy and two Secret Service agents then shot him. The Secret Service said no one under its protection was present in Mar-a-Lago at the time. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed Democrats for an ongoing partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service. The US Secret Service is responsible for the safety of the President, Vice-President and former Presidents, and their families, as well as major election candidates and visiting foreign heads of state.

The Student Job Search organisation is New Zealand’s largest, Government-funded employment service, connecting tertiary students and recent graduates with employers. Forty-nine per cent of all jobs listed on Student Job Search in quarter 2 of the 2025/26 financial year were casual roles, while permanent fulltime roles made up just 2.5%, well below historical norms. “It’s creating tensions between work and study – with students missing a lecture or study to go to work. “They can’t afford to not have access to student allowances and loans, which has a long-term impact.”Both the Victoria and Otago University Students’ Association presidents said university students are struggling to support themselves. Victoria University Student Association president Aidan Donoghue said there are only so many part-time jobs that can accommodate the university schedule.

Newly appointed Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said Ms Z had been “ignored” and accused high-ranking officers of being part of a “cover-up”. On February 13, an email sent from a different Gmail account reiterated the request for “$600 for every sexual act”. Despite the police decision not to charge McSkimming for sexual offending against her, Ms Z has repeated claims she was abused by him. Meanwhile, a prosecution of Ms Z over online harassment after a complaint from McSkimming was abandoned in September last year. After the case was dropped, another complaint was made by a separate police officer and his wife after he started investigating Ms Z.

Runners put themselves through a gruelling Three Peaks "orientation" starting at Woodhaugh St yesterday morning. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSHDunedin's dire summer has not deterred entries for this year’s Three Peaks race, with numbers already near capacity. But already there is strong interest, and several dozen attended a "training run" yesterday. But at the moment it’s looking OK," Ms Pattillo saidThe orientation runs were "always a point of interest". Trail running was regarded as a "typically male" pursuit, which meant the Three Peaks run had another point of difference as nearly half of the participants were female.

A new bylaw could be needed to enable the Dunedin City Council to manage its water supply network effectively, safely and in alignment with new legislation. This culminated in the Local Government (Water Services) Act 2025 and government acceptance of the council’s water services delivery plan. The council’s water supply network serves more than 45,000 properties and includes nine water supply dams, 62 treated-water reservoirs, over 1700km of pipelines, 21 pumping stations and six water treatment plants. The purpose of the bylaw would be to enable efficient and effective management of the water supply network, including servicing areas where growth is anticipated, protect the council’s water supply and equipment from contamination and against damage, and protect against water wastage. A person may commit an infringement offence if they carry out building work over or near water services infrastructure without approval, discharge into the water supply network without authorisation or tamper with a water meter.

A person was taken to hospital with moderate injuries after getting "stuck in a window" in the early hours of the morning in Queenstown. Firefighters were on the scene for about 20 minutes after being alerted by a bystander just after 2am yesterday. They reported "someone stuck in a window", a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said. The crew assessed and treated one patient who was transported to Lakes District Hospital in a moderate condition, she said. Information was not available on where and how the cat was stuck, but it seemed to have taken a long time to free it.

Cruise ships 'Azamara Onward' (left) and 'Carnival Splendor' are joined at Port Chalmers by two tugboats, which aided the former after two lines disconnected while it was berthed yesterday. Two lines securing Azamara Onward to the Port Chalmers container terminal "parted safely" under the strain of the wind, Port Otago marine and infrastructure general manager Grant Bicknell said. Port Otago had been prepared for the strong winds since Friday and had tugboats on standby, he said. The captain of Azamara Onward contacted harbour control to notify them of the wind and raised concerns about the lines. Most cruise ships used self-tensioning winches to keep the lines at an even tension.

The crash happened in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner. New Zealand Herald Photograph by George HeardAlready a subscriber? Crash between a car and cyclist in Sumner, Christchurch causes serious injuriesThe crash happened in the Christchurch suburb of Sumner. New Zealand Herald Photograph by George HeardA crash between a car and cyclist in Christchurch on Sunday afternoon has resulted in serious injuries. The crash happened near the intersection of Sumnervale Dr and Evans Pass Rd.

PHOTOS: ODT FILESAccusations of power-grabs, worries about pay and criticism of "frankly ridiculous" workloads were levelled at Dunedin’s mayor over her shake-up of councillor roles, emails reveal. Asked by the ODT if the correspondence showed the governance shake-up was messier than necessary, Ms Barker disagreed. Emails show Cr Vandervis was not wholly satisfied with the resolution and would have preferred to chair the committee alone. Other emails captured by the ODT’s request included Cr Christine Garey’s question to the mayor about how Cr Vandervis’ new positions would "impact my salary". Ms Barker said, given the opportunity, she would not have been as rushed by the deadline set by the Remuneration Authority.

Acting Superintendent Ash Tabb, Christchurch metro acting area commander, said emergency services responded to reports of a dog attack at an address on Bevin Place. The dogs involved in Tuesday’s fatal mauling will be destroyed, Kaipara District Council confirmed. Police conduct searches and hold cordons at a property near a dog attack in the Northland settlement of Kaihu. Te Rore’s death was the third fatal dog attack in Northland in the past five years. In October 2023, Elizabeth “Effie” Whittaker died after a dog attack in the backyard of her Moerewa home.

From a new body wash designed with active types in mind, to a sleep-supporting elixir and a coffee-spiked scent, our editors share every product they’ll be adding to their beauty and wellness routines in 2026. It’s a blessing and a curse to know about all the exciting launches in beauty land well in advance. Sneak a glimpse into their beauty and wellness routines, below. —Tyson Beckett, journalistMy word for 2026 is “balance” and with that comes the side quest to clean up my sleep hygiene. How’s that for beauty sleep.

Soon after the altercation, about 8pm, Kaihau was in the passenger seat of a white Audi in Mt Wellington, Auckland, following a Toyota Caldina. Kaihau, who didn’t have a firearms licence, was in possession of a semi-automatic Remington shotgun with the stock and barrel cut short. Nearby police heard the bang and spotted the Audi undertaking the other car at speed and making its getaway. A prison beatingKaihau was also charged for his role in an earlier group prison assault. For discharging the firearm with reckless disregard and injuring with intent to injure his prison victim, Kaihau was sentenced to two years, eight months’ imprisonment.