St Clair Bowling Club players Jenna McLaughlin (left) and Mary Ellen Copland display the Twilight Tosser’s Pairs Tournament Trophy created by Craig Reed. Photo: Craig ReedA final showcase is set to wrap up a summer of lawn bowls. The St Clair Bowling Club will mark the end of the warmer months with an end-of-season Twilight Tosser’s Pairs Tournament. The fixture on Sunday, March 29, will be open to all twilight bowlers, first-year participants and social players who have a competitive edge. Organiser Craig Reed said he had designed and built a unique trophy that would be presented to the winners alongside cash prizes.

Pakistani Community of Otago president Anam Nawaz is unifying the local community. The Pakistan Association of Otago and the Dunedin Pakistani Society have formally merged to establish a combined organisation after months of extensive negotiations. Pakistani Community of Otago president Anam Nawaz played a central role in finding ways to bring the two groups together. "We wrote a new constitution which was approved by both parties and then we also selected a new name," Mrs Nawaz said. Pakistani Community of Otago president Anam Nawaz signs documents formalising the merger of the Pakistan Association of Otago and the Dunedin Pakistani Society.

Eagles Golfing Society of Otago patron Bob Brent displays the Halberg Foundation Trophy recently presented to the club. The Eagles Golfing Society of Otago has been awarded a Halberg Foundation Trophy after generating $280,000 over the past 15 years for the charity. Treasurer Appie Borren said the trophy was given to the group during the recent national convention of the Eagles Society of New Zealand, held in Palmerston North. Collectively the national society has raised more than $6.2 million for the Halberg Foundation since 1969. The next event takes place at the St Clair Golf Club on Wednesday, March 25, with a shotgun start at 10.30am.

Casketcase will be staged during the Dunedin Fringe Festival. Image: suppliedPodcasts, poison and a promising premise are the ingredients of Casketcase, a new play by Dunedin theatre company Good for Her Productions. Written by Dunedin playwright and director Chelsea McRae, Casketcase combines elements of horror, choose-your-own adventure and true crime podcast culture. The play will feature original music created by University of Otago students Mario Sadra-de Jong and August Gaiger. Casketcase will be staged until March 21, from 7.30pm, at the Globe Theatre.

More than 50 people and about 45 dogs gathered in Cromwell on Sunday to protest the Central Otago District Council’s plan to fell trees at a popular dog walking pine forest in Sandflat Rd. Photos: suppliedAll Cromwell residents may bear the brunt of the town’s only large off-leash dog exercise area closing, a dog behaviour specialist says. Zoomies Dog Training & Adventures owner Lisa Telle said there were fights between dogs and lots of barking. Miss Telle said the council had no plans for the recreation site and it claimed the trees were unsafe. Emily Honey-Fergusson and Rob Garrett and dog Willow joined the protest against the tree-felling decision.

Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon ambassador Mel Aitken is looking forward to mentoring one lucky athlete. PHOTO: SAM HENDERSONReaching the finish line at the Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon is set to become easier for one aspiring athlete. Race director Becs Adlam said a new Ambassador’s Grant would enable the recipient to work with Dunedin marathon veteran Mel Aitken. As the ambassador, Ms Aitken will mentor the chosen athlete, providing tailored support and equipment to get them to the start line. Registrations are now open at dunedinmarathon.co.nz for the 2026 Emerson’s Dunedin Marathon, which returns on Sunday, September 13.

Former Invercargill mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt died on January 8, aged 78. PHOTO: ODT FILESSir Tim Shadbolt’s partner of many years has criticised a crowd-funded statue project for the late mayor, urging people not to donate. Earlier this month, a Givealittle campaign was set up by Sir Tim Shadbolt Memorial Statue Project (Group) with a lofty goal of raising $367,500 in one year. While at Matakana, they discussed the idea of an interactive bronze statue of Sir Tim sitting at a bench so people could sit next to him and shake his hand. Sir Tim served two terms as Waitematā mayor before relocating to the South and clocking up eight terms in Invercargill.

Presented by Melbourne’s a2 Company, Motion Sickness — described as "an existential crisis at the rave" — is a mix of theatre, electronic music, dance and visual projections. It dwells on the three leading theories of the end of the world, along with some wry commentary on the current sociopolitical landscape. Because Motion Sickness delivers so much sensory stimulation all at once, I suspect the nuance of its subject matter perhaps went in one ear and out the other for most of the audience — not that that’s the sole point. Moments where the visual, spoken and physical elements were perfectly synchronised made Motion Sickness feel particularly rewarding. The show’s music, from the debut EDM album of one of the show’s creators, was highly enjoyable too.

Police are urging Dunedin’s student population to lock their flats and report suspicious activity after a middle-aged man returned to a flat where he was previously caught sleeping outside. Sergeant Matt Lee said police were called to an address in Forth St, North Dunedin, just after midnight on Tuesday. The occupants of the address discovered a 46-year-old man sleeping on a couch on their front porch. "Police moved the male on and told him not to return to the address." Sgt Lee said students should contact police if they saw suspicious activity or somebody who looked like they did not belong in the area.

PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERYCouncillors will be asked to back a significant investment in Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium so it can stage a wider range of events. Forsyth Barr Stadium has already been the recipient of a major cash injection this year. "This provides us with the opportunity to make Forsyth Barr Stadium a much more intimate experience." The proposal was revealed in a council report that said, following engagement with promoters and event owners, both DVML and Dunedin Stadium Property Ltd were exploring ways "to make the stadium more attractive to hirers". "This includes exploring ways to adjust the capacity of the stadium for different events," the report said.

A swag of Otago athletes have been named in the the largest New Zealand team to compete at the Oceania championships. Paralympic shot putter Holly Robinson headlines the crew and is joined by Taieri clubmates Felix McDonald (long jump), Zharna Beattie (discus), Josh Chisholm (para shot put) and William Evans (javelin). Aspiring runners Hayato Yoneto (100m) and Phoebe Laker (200m 400m), Hill-City University runners Sadye Kawau (100m) and Alex Walker (400m), and Ariki long jumper Shay Veitch round out the Otago contingent. Dunedin coach Raylene Bates will also serve as the para team manager. The 157-strong team, which includes senior, under-18 and para athletes, will compete in Darwin on May 18-23.

Photo: suppliedA man whose actions triggered a bomb scare at a council is standing in the Dunedin City Council by-election. This involved him slipping an empty red suitcase into the Whakatāne District Council headquarters foyer and walking away, leaving it unattended. Dickson told the Whakatāne District Court he had not expected the police to get involved and the possibility of triggering a bomb scare had never entered his mind. The Otago Daily Times has been told Dickson, 72, is to be sentenced on April 15, which is five days after voting opens in the by-election. He has previously stood for the Otago Regional Council, Southern District Health Board and in a Port Otago electorate by-election.

Photo: ReutersPrincess Catherine, Princess of Wales, presents a shamrock to Irish wolfhound Turlough Mor, also known as Seamus, the 17th Regimental Mascot of the Irish Guards, during the St Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks, in Aldershot, as the western hemisphere celebrated the Christian and cultural holiday yesterday. Photo: ReutersNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani greets people during the city’s 265th St Patrick’s Day Parade. Photo: ReutersA man holds a child dressed in colours of the Ireland flag during the St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin. Photo: ReutersA St Patrick impersonator takes part in the Dublin parade.

Kim Michael Dozier had a collection of pinball machines, quantities of drugs and cash at his Christchurch home when police arrived. In his garage, police also found his collection of arcade pinball machines, collectively worth between $150,000 and $172,000. In a recently released decision, Justice Jonathan Eaton ordered the restraint of the pinball machines under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act. Justice Eaton was satisfied that both the cash seized during the search and the pinball machines were tainted property and that Dozier had unlawfully benefited from significant criminal activity. Justice Eaton directed the order be served on third parties who may be intended parties by virtue of a sale of a particular pinball machine.

Sean Penn skipped the Oscars to visit Ukraine and received a symbolic statue made from damaged metal. Photo / Ukrainian railway company Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ), AFPUS actor Sean Penn, who skipped Sunday’s Oscars ceremony to visit Ukraine, has been gifted a symbolic version of the famous statuette made from the damaged metal of a train carriage hit in a Russian strike. Penn, a staunch backer of Kyiv, scooped the best supporting actor award at the glitzy Hollywood ceremony for his role in dystopian dramedy One Battle After Another but chose to visit Ukraine instead of receiving the award in person. Penn is a vocal advocate for Ukraine and has visited the country several times since Russia invaded, including to co-direct a documentary about President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he calls a friend. “Sean Penn came to Ukraine and missed the Academy Awards – so Ukrainian railway gave him one of his own,” Ukrainian railways [Ukrzaliznytsia] said on X.