Two sources have confirmed the All Blacks coach was asked to attend a meeting in Christchurch the following day, and advised to bring with him legal representation. David Kirk fronts up to the media following the departure of Scott Robertson as All Blacks coach. He’s totally different to the Scott Robertson that we worked with in the Crusaders’. Scott Robertson and Ardie Savea both believed they had a good relationship, according to sources. Sir Wayne Smith’s initial stint as All Blacks coach did not end well after 2000-2001.

An electric hydrofoil passenger vessel, Vessev VS-9, is trialled on Lake Wakatipu. Photo: suppliedAn electric hydrofoil ferrying passengers on Lake Wakatipu could take pressure off congested Queenstown roads, the backers of a new trial say. Led by Kingston Village Ltd in partnership with marine technology company Vessev, the first trial of an electric hydrofoil took place on Tuesday. A wider feasibility study into an electric foiling ferry between the southern end of Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown Bay was planned for later this year, the company said. Electric hydrofoils reduced emissions, and produced "very little wake", meaning people could move quickly across Lake Wakatipu more sustainably, he said.

“It’s an honour to wear the kākahu and be chosen as a flag bearer alongside such a good friend as Zoi. Kiwis in action: Winter Olympics schedule and resultsBoth Sadowski-Synnott and Barclay can recall moments that have shaped their own Olympic experience. “Both Zoi and Ben embody the leadership qualities we value in the New Zealand team. “Having Zoi and Ben lead this team into Milano Cortina 2026 is something we can all be proud of. New Zealand Olympic Committee chief executive Nicki Nicol congratulated both Sadowski‑Synnott and Barclay on the honour.

Photo: Kirsty Burrows/Kris GallagherFor as long as I've been around, the township of Burkes Pass has had a prominent place in my life. My father Dave Leishman grew up there as his parents were publicans at the Burkes Pass Hotel. The pub was a very popular place for the local young farmers to come in after a hard day on the land. "The fashion is really quite, quite timeless, we think, anyway, so you could wear it till you're 80. West of Burkes Pass you'll find the bullock wagon trail heading up the pass, and the cemetery.

High temperatures are expected across the North Island. High temperatures are expected across the North Island. Photo / Sylvie WhinrayParts of the North Island are expected to keep sizzling, while other areas of the South Island can expect light rain and wind as the Waitangi weekend continues. MetService said a ridge of high pressure will continue to bring sweltering temperatures to the North Island, with a heat alert set for Whakatāne this weekend. According to MetService, Auckland will reach a high of 25C today, while Hamilton will be 26C.

It also appears there’s been a bit of tension, perhaps even a falling out, between Henare and Willie Jackson, co-chair of the Māori caucus. It’s a line Hipkins trod well at Waitangi, in no small part because he’s well advised. The Indian Government is not shy about signalling to the diaspora its pleasure or displeasure with a political party. Added to the mix of complications is the plan, currently being laid, for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit in the middle of this year – all going well. Modi doesn’t do ordinary visits, popping in on a leader for a dry bilateral at some grand government building.

Waitangi Day 2025 will be etched in the minds of many Teviot Valley residents as the day the town hall and cinema burned down. The weed-covered site now sits empty, its fate to be decided at next month’s Central Otago District Council and community board meetings. Community board member, district councillor and steering committee representative Cr Curtis Pannett said the steering group members were a deliberately diverse bunch. Recent planning work, including a draft Teviot Valley community plan, would be included in the investigation, expected to cost between $20,000 and $30,000. A high-level report will be presented to the community board and council next month.

John McGlashan student Adam Ludgate completed a tramp in the Olivine Wilderness of Mt Aspiring National Park last month. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONA Dunedin secondary student wants to inspire his peers to explore their backyard after an expedition into some untouched parts of Fiordland National Park. John McGlashan College student Adam Ludgate, 16, was award $1000 by the Federated Mountain Clubs Youth Expedition Scholarship programme to organise a tramp off the beaten track into the Olivine Wilderness area of Mt Aspiring National Park last month. The trip got a little dicey when a bad weather system from the north forced the group to cut their tramp short. Adam knew about the Olivine Wilderness because his father went tramping there about 20 years ago and he decided to put an expedition plan together for his group to explore it.

They were among the first refugees brought to Dunedin, where they were given a shabby, two-bedroom Kāinga Ora house. Yara*, 19, and Karam*, 21, are raising Ali in one room in South Dunedin, after being removed from the housing waiting list. Yara and Karam went on the waiting list for a Kāinga Ora house last May and were offered a house last October. A media release dated January 22, 2016 about the programme says a client who declines a "suitable" property without good reason "may" now be removed from the housing waiting list. There were more than 24,000 people on New Zealand’s housing waiting list, many with complex needs.

Photo: Peter McIntoshDunedin firefighters take part in a strike on the corner of Anzac Ave and St Andrew St yesterday. It is the 10th time the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union (NZPFU) has taken strike action in a bid to get a collective employment agreement for paid Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) firefighters. Fenz and the NZPFU have been in bargaining talks since July 2024. During yesterday’s one-hour strike, from noon to 1pm, Fenz received calls for 18 incidents across the country. Of those, 10 were in areas affected by the strike.

Businesses and residents in Kaikorai Valley and surrounding communities will notice activity happening in the area over the coming months , as lines company Aurora Energy installs a new underground electricity cable. Aurora said the 3.15km 33kV cable would stretch from the Kaikorai Valley zone substation, in Stone St, to Transpower’s Halfway Bush grid exit point yard, in Wakari Rd. The company said the project would improve the security of electricity supply for the more than 3300 customers in Kaikorai Valley, Brockville, Kenmure, Mornington and Belleknowes who are supplied by the Kaikorai Valley zone substation. "We ask all customers to factor in additional travel time and be prepared for delays. The Kaikorai Valley to Halfway Bush cable project is part of Aurora Energy’s wider $560 million investment programme across Dunedin, Central Otago/Wānaka and Queenstown.

Sea lion Mika’s guardian, Kaitlin Beyer, holds a picture of Mika and one of her pups. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONA 12-year-old Dunedin girl has become the guardian of a sea lion who chose to give birth near her house — not once, but twice. Both times Mika gave birth, Kaitlin found herself guarding Mika from people trying to interfere with her. When Kaitlin discovered Mika had given birth she immediately became fascinated by the sea lion and spent countless hours watching her. A sea lion would normally spend about two weeks in the place where they gave birth, but Mika hung around for about six weeks.

Photo: fileA 23-year-old Queenstown builder caught driving nearly five times the alcohol limit in Frankton Rd had already been fined twice for drink-driving. The result came back at 245mg — nearly five times the legal limit and equivalent to a breath-alcohol reading of 1225mcg. Ms Steele asked the young man’s lawyer, DeAnne Nicoloso, if he had a problem with alcohol the court could help him deal with. Ms Steele said Redmond had no previous convictions, but had incurred demerit points from twice exceeding the legal alcohol limit. Although she accepted his belief he did not need any help for alcohol issues, she urged him to be "very mindful" of his attitude to alcohol and driving — his blood-alcohol level was of a magnitude that made an alcohol interlock sentence mandatory.

Upon taking office, the current minister, Winston Peters, bluntly told greyhound racing it needed to get its house in order. That it was, and the Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill unanimously passed its first reading in November last year — although Act New Zealand expressed concerns about infringement on personal property rights. One of the fastest out of the traps was Bronwyn Eade, the secretary/manager of the Southland and the Otago Greyhound Racing Clubs. She told the committee, which includes Waitaki National MP Miles Anderson, that greyhound racing had — literally — been her life. It certainly has parliamentary support, so in racing parlance greyhound racing is a rank outsider to win this race.

PHOTO: DAVE LOUDONAndrew Rudd, of Ashburton, leads the field in the 2026 Burt Munro Challenge E Hayes & Sons Beach Racing and New Zealand Championships at Oreti Beach yesterday. The event began on Wednesday with the Southland Honda Track Day, followed by the Star Insure New Zealand Hill Climb Championship and Indian Motorcycle Twilight Drag Racing on Thursday, and will continue today with the Super Seller Shelley Speedway at 3pm, and the Teretonga Sprint Races and Superbike Championships today and tomorrow. The event celebrates the life of Southland motorcyclist Burt Munro, who modified his 1920 Indian Scout and set a land speed record of 288.02kmh at the Utah Salt Flats in 1962. He travelled there a further eight times and set two more world records. His 1967 record of 295.44kmh still stands today