All outdoor fires in Central Otago are banned until further notice. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) yesterday declared a prohibited fire season in Central Otago, beginning at 8am today. Our grasslands are now very dry, and the fire risk has been slowly but steadily increasing — notably in Cromwell, Lauder, Clyde and Butchers Dam. Central Otago is predominantly a grassland area with a lot of fuel for potentially disastrous fires that would be extremely difficult to control. "A ban on all outdoor fires will reduce the number of callouts and allow Fire and Emergency crews to manage other fires that may occur."

A year spent working with Aussie great Nick O’Hern equipped American Austen Truslow with the tools he called upon yesterday to surge to a two-stroke lead at the New Zealand PGA Championship. With winds gusting more than 60kmh for much of the day, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club once again gave the field as much as it could handle. As others struggled, Truslow made seven birdies in his round of 5-under 65 to build on a 2-over 74 on Thursday morning and assume the 36-hole lead at 3-under par. Victorian Todd Sinnott (71) is the only other player in the field of 139 under par, while local hope Kerry Mountcastle is in solo third at even par. — Allied Media

Neighbouring farmer Chris Mulholland said windows in the Serpentine Diggings church were smashed, a coal range wrenched apart and a fire extinguisher stolen, which was later recovered on the roadside. "It’s another consequence, it's not getting away from the vandalism of the [buildings] but there's lots of other consequences of what they're doing." "So it's quite dangerous if you shoot a sign, they're not looking half a kilometre behind the sign, but they're still shooting at it." "Vandalism of any type is always disappointing, but when it’s on our iconic heritage sites it’s devastating. The Serpentine Diggings, on the Rough Ridge Range, was one of the most isolated goldfields and townships in Otago.

Former Alexandra woman Colonel Lisa Kelliher is the New Zealand Defence Force’s defence adviser to Australia, based in Canberra. Born in Clyde and educated at St Gerard’s and Dunstan High School in Alexandra, Colonel Kelliher is now based in Canberra, where she is the newly appointed New Zealand Defence Force adviser to Australia. "You know farming is very similar like ... [in the military] we talk about season, weather or terrain; farming’s the same. "I still continue to come home and be very grounded when I come home ... you know, there’s nothing like going home to the family farm and getting the tasks. One of her recent highlights was commanding alongside fellow Dunstan High School graduate Colonel Mike van Welie, who now commander of 1st Brigade at Linton Military Camp.

Anderson was first busted in a stolen vehicle on Comries Rd in February, before being caught in another one the following month. By June 11, Anderson and his partner were in Levin, and in The Warehouse, where the pair stole two bucket hats and a long-sleeved shirt, valued at $50. He walked to a chiller and was handed a frozen crayfish by his partner. As they walked down the aisle, he “concealed” it inside the front of his shorts and jacket. She took a starting point of 15 months’ prison before allowing 35% in discounts, and jailed him for 11 months.

The two Dunedin urban seats — and in particular Dunedin, with the University of Otago at its heart — have usually been a rich source of party votes for the Greens. In 2023, Dunedin was one of the top party vote electorates for the Greens, with 11,449. Now he is doing both, and Ms Swarbrick says plenty of his caucus colleagues, including herself, will be down to help. "We are all in on the environment, we are all in on the climate," Ms Swarbrick said. The mine has already been a major focus for the Greens — especially Taieri list MP Scott Willis — and will continue to be so Ms Swarbrick said.

Silver Fern Mila Reuelu-Buchanan will captain the Northern Stars in the ANZ Premiership this season. The midcourter takes over from incumbent Maia Wilson, who has moved to the Northern Mystics. — Allied Media

Afternoon Headlines | Unprecedented day for UK and Fonterra announces extra dividend for farmers | Friday, February 20, 2026Already a subscriber? Police presence on Onehunga Mall after serious incidentA person is seriously injured after an altercation on Auckland’s Onehunga Mall. A police spokesperson said they were alerted about 3.46pm to the serious incident. One person had been taken to hospital in a serious condition, and inquiries will continue with a police presence remaining in the area. “Anyone with information is asked to update police online now or call 105 using the reference number P065518099,” the spokesperson said.

Photo: suppliedWhile Air New Zealand does not see the lack of airline competition in New Zealand as a problem, Dunedin Airport and many other regional airports around the country do. Air NZ holds more than 80% of domestic capacity and a monopoly on 80% of domestic air routes — making it one of the most concentrated domestic aviation markets in the world. However, New Zealand Airports Association chief executive Billie Moore believed it was a problem, particularly for regional travellers and businesses across the country, because without aviation competition, regional air routes were more expensive. "Like many New Zealand airports, we have seen schedules change over time as airlines respond to demand, fleet availability and network priorities." She said on routes with Jetstar competition, Air NZ dropped fares by 4% and increased capacity by 0.6%.

Photo: ODT filesA Dunedin nurse was permitted to continue working at the hospital after groping a colleague as she tended to an unconscious patient. Kevin Gonzales, 34, appeared before the Dunedin District Court this week where he was discharged without conviction after admitting a charge of indecent assault. He had been stationed in a different department to the victim and there had been no further incidents, she said. The court heard the victim had sought counselling as a result of the ordeal and experienced ongoing anxiety in the aftermath. The Nursing Council said it had no comment to make on Gonzales’ work status as it was "an employment decision".

The former Prince Andrew. File photo: ReutersThe arrest of disgraced former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has highlighted one of the major risks of having a non-elected head of state, a constitutional law expert says. If New Zealand wanted to ditch the British Royal Family and become a republic, it would be a rather simple process, he said. Whether New Zealand wanted to become a republic in the wake of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest was not clear, Prof Geddis said. It was pretty obvious members of the Royal Family probably knew he was "getting up to trouble", but they likely did not ever know the true extent, he said.

The water intake at Falls Dam sits high and dry in this 2024 file photo. PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYA $2 million funding boost from the government has been described as significant, as the plan to enlarge and fix Falls Dam gathers steam. Manuherekia Catchment Group chairman Andrew Paterson said the $2 million announcement was a significant step in the future of the dam. Mr Paterson, who is also a director Manuherikia River Ltd, said the enlarged dam would not cover much extra land. He said the added bonus the dam would help feed town water supplies along the river’s path to Alexandra.

Facilitating a "penguin experience" for a pair of English rock stars landed one Dunedin collector an unforgettable memento. Mr Mahalski said Cocker was interested in finding vinyl records of Dunedin music for his son and seeing local wildlife. "Thanks to [Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance] — [they] let us have a penguin experience," Mr Mahalski said. "If any other rock stars are reading this and they want to donate their underpants, that would be cool," Mr Mahalski said. "It’s not just men; any underpants from rock stars would be a good addition to the collection."

Cr Ong said he was escorted out of the meeting by Crs John Chambers, Doug Hall, Mickey Treadwell and Andrew Simms. Cr Ong accepted the letter, placed it back on the table, took a photo, and was then asked to leave. "Cr Ong is now a serious impediment to the council — both reputationally and operationally. Cr Ong disputed this and he posted on social media a video of himself with duct tape over his mouth. Cr Ong earlier in the term complained about the conduct of Cr Chambers, but this was dismissed as being without substance.

Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman shared her vision for the Reserve Bank at a lunch yesterday hosted by Business Canterbury. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDCautious householder spending and big global shocks are the main pressures Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman sees tripping up the economic recovery. The new governor gave a confident first formal talk to business owners at a lunch hosted by Business Canterbury at Christchurch’s Air Force Museum yesterday. Dr Breman said the projection for the NZ economy was looking pretty good after three years of almost no growth. The other risk to Reserve Bank projections for economic growth in the year ahead was further afield.