The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives started as a reality television series following a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers, known as “MomTok,” as they deal with the fallout from the scandal. The same year, Taylor Frankie Paul and Tate Paul separated after she broke the rules of their open marriage and slept with Mortensen. A source close to the cast of the show said other members of MomTok are distancing themselves from her. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives started as a reality television series following a group of Utah-based TikTok influencers, known as “MomTok". “I’ve been criticised, I’ve been judged and I’ve been rejected,” Paul said in a teaser for The Bachelorette.

Little sustained relief is in sight, particularly after Iran’s retaliatory strikes on the Gulf states continued. Despite being more than 14,000km away, New Zealand has long-standing links with the Middle East, especially in the Gulf region. Wellington has maintained an embassy in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, since 1984. New Zealand’s embassy in Tehran is even older, having opened in 1975 as one of New Zealand’s first two diplomatic missions in the Middle East. While Wellington may be keen to concentrate its efforts on the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East is once again topping New Zealand’s foreign policy agenda.

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An 11.6% average rates rise has been proposed for the Queenstown Lakes District. Councillors will be asked to approve the draft annual plan consultation document, which includes the proposed average rates rise, after allowing for a 3.5% growth in the rating database at tomorrow’s full council meeting,Initially, the proposed rates increase was 19%. Council’s assurance, finance and risk general manager Katherine Harbrow said, in a statement, the proposed average rates rise was consistent with what was proposed for year three of its long-term plan. She noted "significant work" had been required to reduce the rates increase and ensure it remained aligned with the council’s original projection. The draft annual plan being presented to councillors tomorrow also included details of the work to deliver the long-term plan (2024-2034) to date.

Bernard Edward Cameron leaving court yesterday. Photo: Gregor RichardsonA worker at a Dunedin care facility who groped an elderly woman with dementia has avoided a jail sentence. Bernard Edward Cameron, 71, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting three charges of indecent assault. The victim suffered from severe dementia, struggled to speak and could not hold a conversation, the court heard. Yesterday, the victim’s son told the court his mother’s illness made her the "perfect victim" for Cameron’s assaults.

Sandy Graham. Photo: suppliedThe Dunedin City Council is shaping to be more than $40 million short of delivering its budgeted capital spend, as mystery surrounds what it will get done next year. The latest capital expenditure forecast is for $190m in the year to June, against a budget of $231m. Capital expenditure for 2025-26 up until the end of January was $81m, or 35.1% of the full-year budget. In December, the forecast capital spend for the financial year had been $204m.

PHOTO: SUPPLIEDNorth Otago shearing contractor Willy McSkimming is celebrating having a clearer head and stronger body, two years after quitting booze. The 44-year-old started drinking as a young teen, a trend which continued for nearly three decades, while working in shearing sheds. In King Country, there was more work and bigger crews and plenty of opportunities to "get stuck in" to the drinking scene. He and his wife Tess bought the shearing run in King Country in 2005 and operated it for 16 years. They returned to the South, basing themselves in Oamaru, and he sold shearing gear across the South Island for three years.

The Southland Shafts & Wheels club is holding a free open day at the showgrounds to show off its collection, some of which will be in four-wheeled action, running from 1pm to 4pm. "We wanted to show people what we’re about, and give people a chance to enjoy some of the collection in action. Visitors on the day would get to enjoy free horse-and-wagon rides, and have a go at "long-reining" small ponies, Mrs Dawson said. "It’s not only the children that enjoy it — we find the grown-ups come off with a big smile on their faces, too." Visitors could drop in at any time during the afternoon, and should enter the open day at the showgrounds’ gate 1.

Glenkenich Church community representative Lindsay Alderton, left, and church builder descendant Ian Rhodes display the church’s foundation stone and time capsule during a recent ceremony before the church’s removal to Greenvale. Photo: suppliedA 91-year-old hidden secret was revealed — and a long-standing promise fulfilled — during a recent farewell to a much-loved church building. Former parishioners, heritage stakeholders and local residents came together at the former Glenkenich Presbyterian Church earlier this month, to say goodbye before it moved across the district under new ownership. Local descendants and community members gather at Glenkenich Church for a ceremony before its removal to Greenvale recently. Photo: suppliedThe land on which the church was built was donated by local farmer and Presbyterian, Thomas Crossan.

Waikoikoi Hall is under threat of closure once again, unless regular users can be found. New Waikoikoi Hall chairman Josh Crawford said last week he feared the hall may end up permanently shutting its doors, unless regular users could be found. It’s really only used for [Waikoikoi] school productions every two years, and an occasional party, but if we could find some regular weekly users, that would give it a reason to continue." He said regular use would help maintain the hall, allowing it to be heated up and swept occasionally. Mr Crawford said those in favour of its closure were concerned the hall was an unnecessary drain on ratepayers.

PHOTO: MARY WILLIAMSDestruction of the Catlins bush is a crisis demanding urgent pest control funding, conservationists and locals say. The calls are made as a community-led, ten-year strategic pest management plan is being prepared with $55,000 funding from Otago Regional Council. The Catlins plan, due in June and called the Invasive Mammal Plan, was one of the actions to come out of a Catlins Catchment Action Plan and will identify priority pests and areas to target. The preparation of the plan has been contracted to iwi-owned Catlins Pest Management. The dream of a fence after extensive pest control would require "long-term planning commitment and a source of continuous funding".

Quartz Reef owner and general manager Rudi Bauer works on the first day of the sparkling grape harvest on Monday. Quartz Reef owner and winemaker Rudi Bauer said the region’s harvest started on Monday, 10 days later than usual, but in perfect "Indian summer" conditions. So long as vineyards had good canopy and fruit density management the quality would be good, Mr Bauer said. So far it was looking like it would be good harvest and hopes were high, he said. "You pick a bit earlier and you make sure you retain the acidity — that’s the two key factors [for sparkling wine]," Mr Bauer said.

Glenkenich Church community representative Lindsay Alderton (left) and church builder descendant Ian Rhodes display the church’s foundation stone and time capsule during a recent ceremony before the church’s removal to Greenvale. Photos: suppliedA 91-year-old hidden secret was revealed — and a long-standing promise fulfilled — during a recent farewell to a much-loved church building. Former parishioners, heritage stakeholders and local residents came together at the former Glenkenich Presbyterian Church earlier this month to say goodbye before it was moved across the district under new ownership. Mrs Erickson said she was delighted to have been able to fulfil that promise after selling the church to nearby new owners recently. The Glenkenich Presbyterian Church building in West Otago will shortly be on the move.

Roslyn Pharmacy’s Kate Catchpole says the two meningococcal vaccines are proving popular in the wake of the recent outbreak. Photo: Peter McIntoshVaccines for meningococcal disease are "going out the door" at Dunedin pharmacies, after reports of two cases in the city within close proximity of the student quarter. "The National Public Health Service in Southern are treating these cases as a meningococcal outbreak in Dunedin. Despite the demand for the vaccine, Health New Zealand confirmed there was no issue with vaccine supply in New Zealand. "Pharmac are ensuring there is adequate supply of the MenACWY and MenB vaccines available in Dunedin," a spokesman said.

The government this week announced reforms to alcohol laws aimed at cutting red tape, which would stop people objecting to liquor licences if they did not live or work nearby. Bede Crestani, who lives in Wellington but has objected to licence applications in Dunedin, said such a change could undermine the work of the Sophia Charter. Alcohol contributed "in a major way" to his daughter's death and he did not want other people to die, he said. Photo: RNZ"Alcohol is responsible for a lot of death and it contributed in a major way to our daughter's death. The change to objections ensured they came from people or organisations with a direct connection to the local community affected, she said.