His wife, of a similar age and wearing a dressing gown, had also gone outside to see what was going on. I jumped out of bed and had a look outside,” the 82-year-old said. His wife went to the kitchen and looked out the window while he put his slippers on. Replied the teenager: “Please don't do that.”The 82-year-old said he had “a talk” to the teenager, who told him he was 14. And that was it.”The teenager told him they had done the same thing to other houses on Southfield Dr that night.
Firefighters attend what is believed to have been a battery explosion in a Toyota Corolla hybrid in Princes St on Friday morning. Photo: Gregor RichardsonWitnesses reported hearing a loud boom when a hybrid vehicle "exploded" at a central Dunedin intersection today. The incident happened at the intersection of Princes St and Moray Place. He said it looked as though it could have potentially been an issue with the battery in the vehicle. ‘‘Because of the unpredictable nature of batteries, we've got to check it over carefully.’’The scene was made safe and the vehicle was moved from the scene shortly afterwards.
One person has been airlifted to Dunedin Hospital in a serious condition following a crash on State Highway 1 this morning. Two people had to be freed from a truck, which brought down powerlines when it hit a pole on the Waihola Highway, south of Dunedin. One person was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital in a serious condition, and the other was transported by ambulance in a moderate condition, the spokesman said. Emergency services on site where a van crashed into a power pole on Waihola Highway this morning. Photo: Jo JagoPolice were called to the crash on the Waihola Highway (State Highway 1) near Milburn at 7.50am.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) will be seeking public feedback on the proposal to toll Warkworth to Te Hana, the first Road of National Significance (RoNS) to be delivered as part of the Northland Corridor project. Warkworth to Te Hana will connect to the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and is the second stage of the Ara Tūhono project, which opened in 2023. The new 26 kilometre, four-lane route will start at the northern end of the Pūhoi to Warkworth motorway and continue north to rejoin State Highway 1 near Waimanu Road in Te Hana. Any tolling revenue will contribute to the annual amount we need to pay the PPP following the opening of the motorway. Given how expensive the Warkworth to Te Hana project is, it’s quite possible we could see annual repayments well north of $300 million per year.
Swiss-kiwi sailor Julien Blondel is enjoying his stay in Riverton after sailing his yacht there. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDA Swiss sailor who has been living on his yacht in Riverton for the past month will join an international flotilla sailing to Palestine. The flotilla will attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade of the area which has been in effect since 2007, limiting supplies to the area and causing hardship. Julien Blondel, 47, has been sailing around New Zealand on his yacht for the past year. The flotilla, including a hospital ship and another with building supplies, will leave from different ports in Europe next month.
Sandy Graham. Photo: suppliedAdvertising for the Dunedin City Council’s chief executive position is expected to start next week. Incumbent Sandy Graham has not said if she will apply and could not be reached for comment last night. Ms Graham was appointed chief executive in 2020 and had an initial five-year contract. ‘‘The role of chief executive is central to this work.’’grant.miller@odt.co.nz
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The Commercial Hotel in Omakau. The company which was operating the Commercial Hotel in Omakau when it closed its doors in late 2023 has been placed in liquidation. Sole shareholder and director Jared Miller had taken over the lease of the complex — once voted best country hotel in New Zealand — just over a year prior to its closure. In his initial report, liquidator Brenton Hunt, of Insolvency Matters, said the company Accidental Publicans Ltd had been placed in liquidation by special resolution of the shareholder. Plant and equipment were surrendered to the landlord and initial investigations did not indicate an overdrawn shareholder current account.
Sir Rod Drury, of Queenstown, was last night named the 2026 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa. The comment was made by the judging panel of the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards after Sir Rod (Ngai Tahu), of Queenstown, was last night named New Zealander of the Year Te Pou Whakarae o Aotearoa at a gala dinner in Auckland. The judges said Sir Rod, a pioneer entrepreneur and founder of Xero, continued to shape New Zealand’s technology landscape through innovation, investment and mentorship. Most recently, he established Southern Infrastructure Ltd to support Queenstown public infrastructure projects, including the proposed cable car. Kiwibank chief executive Steve Jurkovich said Sir Rod had a track record for turning ‘‘ambition into action’’.
A man arrested and charged with abducting a young girl in Christchurch last weekend has been found dead in prison. The man was on remand after appearing in the Christchurch District Court on Monday accused of abducting the 9-year-old. Corrections told The Press the man was remanded in a prison health unit and was not in a double-bunked cell. Corrections' officers and health staff gave him first aid and called an ambulance, but he was not able to be revived. Prison acting general manager Claire Walls said an independent Corrections Inspectorate investigation was under way into the death.
The incident happened in Duke St, north Dunedin. Photo: Google MapsA man allegedly performed an indecent act outside the window of a Dunedin student flat before fleeing into the night. The students in the flat told police the man knocked on their flat window before exposing himself. Police were called to the property in Duke St, north Dunedin, shortly after the incident at 2.45am, Acting Senior Sergeant Iain Notman, of Dunedin, said. He was arrested, charged with unlawfully in an enclosed yard and doing an indecent act, and would appear in Dunedin District Court at a later date.
In New Zealand petrol prices are already climbing rapidly, with forecasts that they could push toward $4 a litre. Global petrol prices have surged past US$100 a barrel as the Middle East conflict fighting disrupts supply routes. In New Zealand petrol prices are already climbing rapidly, with forecasts that they could push toward $4 a litre - or higher - if the conflict escalates. Others on social media weighed in with stories of being hostility and rudeness at the city's petrol stations. "Got abused at the petrol station last week because I didn’t go to the first pump.
What started as a distant geopolitical conflict has quickly landed squarely on our country's economy, driving up fuel costs, squeezing household budgets, and threatening to slow growth. If it continues, New Zealand could be staring down the barrel of another recession. "So this sort of shock, if it gets worse, will definitely increase the risk of a recession here," Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr said. "And we have only just gotten out of recession, so to fall back in would be horrendous for households and businesses." And when fuel costs rise, everything that relies on transport follows - from groceries to clothing to construction materials.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the price increases are extremely tough and affecting all New Zealanders, but said some are feeling it more than others. Willis wouldn't say what the income thresholds would be, but said the package would take into account household income and number of children. Willis also defended the government's LNG plans, despite the attacks on Iran's South Pars gas field and Qatar's Ras Laffan. Not our conflictWillis said the fighting in the Middle East was "not our conflict", and reiterated calls for a humanitarian end.
Andrew SimmsA Dunedin city councillor has looked to Aurora Energy for a dividend to offset rates rises, as he warns a double-digit increase poses an ‘‘existential threat’’ to the council. Following questions from Cr Russell Lund, Cr Andrew Simms asked if Aurora could feasibly pay a $5million dividend this year without impacting operations. ‘‘In the next financial year, we are intending and planning to have dividends resume from Aurora Energy,’’ Mr Loan said. ‘‘If we roll out ... a double-digit rate rise, that's an existential threat to this mayoralty and this council,’’ Cr Simms said. The Commerce Commission was ‘‘all over Aurora’’, Cr Lund said.
