Photo: Matthew FairbrotherA Christchurch mountain biker spent 24 hours cycling continuous laps around a McDonald's drive-through to test his endurance. Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Fairbrother clocked up 500 kilometres on the ride on Christmas Day, which he described as a "deliberately absurd" endurance challenge. I basically told myself I'd bike for 24 hours or up until I got kicked out. I started at 5am and then I stopped at 5am and over the whole 24 hours I only spent just under two hours not moving." Physically I knew I could bike for 24 hours non-stop but to do it in the way I did, mentally I've never done anything so tough."

“We are certainly not seeing the extreme inflation experienced in the post-Covid phase, when the CCCI annual growth rate peaked at more than 10% in late 2022. During that period, there were supply chain issues for key materials such as plasterboard and rising wages also drove up costs significantly. “However, although they’re not rising to any huge degree at present, costs haven’t seen significant falls either. “The latest CCCI figures remain relatively controlled, although as the industry starts to recover more clearly in 2026, construction cost growth could pick up again,” he said. “However, a spike similar to the post-Covid phase remains unlikely.”

The August paper said the $56b Rons programme was the “most complex and expensive infrastructure programme in New Zealand’s recent history”. Other major transport projects were also planned, including the second Waitematā Harbour crossing. This meant that over the next two decades, “over a quarter of a trillion dollars” would be invested into land transport, the ministry said. The Ministry of Transport and the NZTA “independently prioritised the Rons programme” with different delivery and investment options. We are building a major transport projects pipeline and will have more to say in due course.”He did not say when that would be.

The two-day Legends tournament tees off on Saturday. In 1997, then-Cromwell Golf Club manager Doug Harradine, a former Otago golf representative, imagined a weekend where friends from different sporting backgrounds could reunite, enjoy each other’s company and still test themselves on the course. The simple but unusual rules require every four-person team to include at least one sporting "legend" — a national or provincial sporting representative, current or former, from any sport. In a statement yesterday Cromwell Golf Club president Peter Williams said 61 teams would hit the fairways on Saturday. Mr Williams said Banks was making one of his final sporting appearances in Otago before shifting north.

Hatem said the fire started in the rangehood of the oven they used at the store. Ibrahim Hatem, 60, is taken to hospital after a harrowing effort to put out the flames at the family business he helped start more than 20 years ago in Pakūranga. Reynolds-Hatem said his father and uncles started the business after they arrived from Syria more than two decades ago. Members of the Hatem family comfort each other after the family business in Pakūranga, East Auckland, is destroyed by fire, with co-owner Ibrahim Hatem (inset) being taken away to hospital after having a medical turn. “As soon as the strike finished, they jumped in their trucks and raced straight over to the fire,” he said.

Police speak to the occupants of a vehicle parked at the BP petrol station in Princes St yesterday after officers had to wake them. Photo: Craig BaxterPolice drove a dozy Dunedin duo home after they fell asleep on a petrol station forecourt. A police spokeswoman said officers were called about 1.35pm yesterday to BP 2go On Princes after reports that two people were unconscious in a vehicle. When officers arrived, they checked on the two people, who were found not to be unresponsive, but simply asleep. A witness said the car the two were in was parked in front of a pump.

Now Coroner Bruce Hesketh has released his findings into Kohiti’s death, and issued recommendations about the release of long-term prisoners. Kohiti was released to a residence set up for parolees, run by Anglican Action Manaaki Atu, and he was required to wear an ankle bracelet. His supervisor at the facility said Kohiti didn’t display any health problems, except that he took pain medication for issues related to his lumbar spine. Coroner recommends long-term prisoners be marked ‘urgent’Coroner Hesketh noted there had been a number of suicides of former prisoners after their release from prison. Photo / Star NewsThe one exception was a man who took his own life nearly two years after being released but, like Kohiti, he was a life parolee and subject to strict release conditions.

The 2024 Budget provided $153 million over four years to fund up to 15 new charter schools and up to 35 existing state schools to convert. A further 10 have been approved to open in 2026, including a sports-centred school, an online charter school, and one that is being set up by Autism NZ. Seymour said if a significant part of a community did not support its school converting to a charter school, the board would take that into account in its decision. Two years ago, Seymour said he expected it to be easy for state schools to convert, but he has since revised that opinion. “That money that David Seymour is putting towards charter schools, I think, is better spent in our state schooling system.”All the previous charter schools had become special character schools and she was not aware of any that once again became charter schools.

Central Otago Mayor Tamah Alley celebrates her return to the head of the council table in a landslide victory in October. Funding: reviewing our rating model and ensuring financial sustainability. Shaping our new water council-controlled organisation will be a game-changer for resilience and sustainability. The impacts of reform on the Central Otago District Council will require careful navigation. I soaked up the best of Central Otago — gardening, mowing, enjoying our incredible food and wine, and a magical week away camping in the Hakataramea Valley.

Two different mobs of Hereford cows were calving at different times of the year which, despite not being the norm, they found worked. The black bulls were then put over a B-mob of Hereford cows to calve from the end of January to March. He was proud of the farm development work of all of the generations before him. Hereford cows and calves on Bare Hill sheep and beef farm in Otapiri Gorge, northeast of Winton. Ewes on Bare Hill sheep and beef farm have been transitioning from Romdale to shedding breeds for the past five years.

Exactly 45 years ago last month, a nervous Mr Duffy, who was brought up on a farm in Central Southland, started work in the Invercargill office of Wrightson. Of his tenure, half that time was spent as an agent in Southland before he moved to Alexandra 23 years ago, as Central Otago livestock manager. The livestock industry was a "real people’s game" and success was based on long-term relationships. Auctioneering required a lot of homework before the actual sale but there was a thrill when it went well. Prior to that, it brought back memories for Mr Duffy of the 1980s and early 1990s which were "just a disaster".

A Queenstown teenager who rolled his car, leaving two friends injured, was still affected by alcohol from the night before, a court has heard. All three were taken to Lakes District Hospital for treatment, with the female victim suffering a broken wrist, concussion and lacerations, and the male victim suffering concussion as well as a cut to the head. Defence counsel Bryony Shackell said Thomas had been drinking the night before the Queenstown incident. He was a full-time hospitality student at Queenstown Resort College, but was also working at a bar to make ends meet. He entered the three convictions, imposed a sentence of 12 months’ supervision and disqualified Thomas from driving for 12 months.

Tikana Wapiti owners Donna Day and Dave Lawrence ready for their annual on-farm sale in Browns in 2022. Three-year elk/wapiti: Littlebourne Farm (Winton) Stag White 5 1; Raincliff Station (Pleasant Point) 22-545 2; Tikana (Winton) Zap 3; Tikana (Winton) Cryptic 4. Fallow trophy antler: Whyte Farming (Ashburton) Stag Y0305 1; Whyte Farming (Ashburton) YR307 2; Whyte Farming (Ashburton) Y0902 3. Elk/wapiti trophy antler (typical): Edendale Farming (Ashburton) Stag Tui 1; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YG800 2; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YBK862 3. Elk/wapiti trophy antler (non-typical): Edendale Farming (Ashburton) Stag Detroit 1; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) YG856 2; Edendale Farming (Ashburton) GG608 3; Raincliff Station (Pleasant Point) Prophecy 4.

Tourists in the South have cost the government nearly $3 million in ACC payouts in the past two years due to injuries sustained while visiting the country. In 2024, there were 8575 new claims by visitors, while there had been 7035 claims lodged last year up to the end of the October. This was a major jump from the Covid-affected years of 2021 and 2022, where there were 1167 and 3651 new claims lodged respectively. In total, ACC paid out more than $5.38m in 2024 and $4.85m up to October to visiting claimants — about a third of those payouts occurred in Otago. Although visiting ACC claims cost about $1.5m a year in Otago, international visitor spend across Otago on cards was $750m, Mr Woods said.

PHOTOS: SUPPLIEDSmart virtual fencing company Halter is eyeing up South America and Europe as the next big markets for its cow collar technology. He told the audience Halter was on track to surpass 1 million cows early next year. Halter has a firm hold in Australia’s Tasmania with about 30% to 40% of all cows wearing collars. "The trend we see in these other markets is they all want to become NZ dairy farmers. Halter is a private company and he has not released his shareholding publicly.