A council spokesman said yesterday the by-election would be held on May 12. A mourning period for Mr Radich was appropriate, but she felt the by-election date was set far too late. The ODT asked how much the by-election will cost — in reply, the council spokesman said costs were yet to be confirmed but would be unbudgeted. Several people the ODT spoke to yesterday remained shaken by Mr Radich’s death. The council spokesman said the by-election date was decided in consultation with the electoral officer and complied with legislative requirements.

PHOTO: DESTINATION QUEENSTOWNFree-spending Aussies are leading the charge as an influx of tourists arriving in Christchurch spend their overseas currency on South Island attractions. Christchurch Airport is fielding 15% more international seats on in-bound flights over the four-month summer season, overall capacity increasing by 139,000 seats. KiwiRail Passenger executive general manager Tracey Goodall said the summer season had started strongly, passenger numbers continuing to grow year on year across Great Journeys New Zealand services. Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods (left) and AJ Hackett Bungy New Zealand co-founder Henry van Asch. The latest Statistics NZ results show more than 262,7000 overseas visitors landed last October, up 22,500 from a year ago.

A Wanaka development initially intended to house workers has instead been given the go-ahead as visitor accommodation. Queenstown Lakes District Council approved resource consent for the town centre property to be used as full-time visitor accommodation once constructed. The project by developer Quarters Group will feature 26 townhouses at 14 Reece Cres. A website for "Reece Quarters" painted it as a brand-new development that "makes the most of Wanaka’s lifestyle in an unbeatable location". "While persons in residential visitor accommodation generally have less regular patterns of behaviour, as this zone is for business mixed use this will be virtually imperceptible and will have minimal adverse effects."

Lower Thames St. PHOTO: ODT FILESBusinesses in Oamaru’s town centre are bracing for a financial hit after being told of an eight-hour water shutdown while the council tends to underground Victorian-age drinking water pipes. Major disruption is expected around Oamaru’s Lower Thames St with businesses forced to close or scale back operations in order for outdated water valves to be replaced. A date for the shutdown has not yet been confirmed, but it appears many Thames St businesses will have to close. The area is also home to two hairdressing salons, a bakery and other businesses needing water for kitchens, sprinkler systems and bathrooms. A Waitaki District Council statement yesterday said the council would work with affected businesses "to minimise inconvenience as much as possible".

Source: spar-international.comGreece: Masoutis signs deal to acquire rival supermarket chain KritikosNorthern Greece supermarket chain Masoutis announced that it has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire 100% of rival grocery chain Kritikos. The acquisition is expected to significantly reshape market shares in the Greek supermarket sector. Analysts note that this is the first major consolidation between two leading players in the industry in the current decade. Ethan Vickery and his father Shane opened Kai Co to give shoppers an alternative to the Woolworths and Foodstuffs supermarket duopoly. Source: spar-international.comNew Zealand: Asian retail chain goes into liquidation owing millionsA chain of Asian supermarkets and retail stores has been placed into liquidation owing millions of dollars.

Photo / Getty ImagesER alumni Noah Wyle also continued his winning streak after last year’s Emmy awards, once again claiming Best Actor in a Drama Series for his HBO medical drama The Pitt, which also won Best Drama Series. Industry veteran Jean Smart staked her claim as a triple threat, winning the Best Actress in a Comedy Series Globe a third time for her performance as veteran comedian Deborah Vance in Hacks. Noah Wyle, winner of the Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama award for "The Pitt". Taylor went on to win the first award of the night for Supporting Actress in a film. Shakespeare bio-drama Hamnet, based on the tragic death of the bard’s son, won Best Drama Film, with lead actress Jessie Buckley also taking home Best Actress in a Drama.

“It was really tough,” recalled Svitolina. In the end I was like, OK, maybe try not to think about these things too much and just try to fight and really work. “It’s the nature of humans to think a bit more negative than positive, so actually until the end, I didn’t really think too much about that I could win [this title]. I was just trying to work.”Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina celebrates winning the singles final at the 2026 ASB Classic. “It’s tough to say [why] but I try to really be 100% focused on every single point in finals,” said Svitolina.

Photo: Facebook/Kai CoThe co-owner of a new supermarket in Christchurch says shoppers have turned out in droves in support of the new store since it opened last week. Ethan Vickery and his father Shane opened Kai Co to give shoppers an alternative to the Woolworths and Foodstuffs supermarket duopoly. He said during the first three days since the store opened, sales nearly doubled their expectations. People just need good quality food at a good price. We don't have loyalty cards or anything like that it's just simple, good quality food at a good price," Vickery said.

The Yoyoso group includes the retail brands Yoyoso, Miniso and Acecco. "The liquidators have closed the Northcote supermarket (Acecco Supermarket Limited) location due to lack of trading revenue but continued to trade the Mt Albert location. "The Yoyoso and Miniso stores have continued to trade to reduce the stock levels at each of the stores. As stock levels reduce and/or landlords make decisions on the timing of the stores closing the stores will be vacated and closed with the expectation to have almost all stores closed or vacated over January 2026. Retail consultant Chris Wilkinson, from First Retail Group, said it was part of a general trend in which shoppers looking for things that Yoyoso sold would shop on Temu, AliExpress or Shein instead.

Firefighters battle the flames to extinguish a bushfire in Mount Pirque at El Hoyo, in the Patagonian region of Chubut province, Argentina on January 10. More than 15,000 hectares of forest have been consumed by wildfires in southern Argentina. Firefighters battle the flames to extinguish a bushfire in Mount Pirque at El Hoyo, in the Patagonian region of Chubut province, Argentina on January 10. More than 15,000 hectares of forest have been consumed by wildfires in southern Argentina. Photo / Gonzalo Keogan, AFPForest fires in southern Argentina have scorched more than 15,000ha (37,000 acres) this past week, authorities said, though rain began falling in parts of Patagonia today to the relief of residents.

The Employment Relations Authority found language used in the proposal letter showed a decision had already been made to not redeploy the woman to another role. ‘Passion for fashion’The woman started as a marketing manager for the digital marketing company in 2022. Performance review documentation about a year after she started showed she sought clarification of the role, Baker said. No misrepresentation but motive questionedThe proposal to disestablish the woman’s role started in early 2024, and ended with her being given notice of termination. Even if the decision to disestablish the role was justified, the lack of opportunity for redeployment meant termination amounted to an unjustified dismissal, Baker said.

Police arrested a 28-year-old man alleged to have had an imitation firearm in Auckland's city centre. Auckland police arrest man after allegedly finding him with fake gun in city centrePolice arrested a 28-year-old man alleged to have had an imitation firearm in Auckland's city centre. A 28-year-old man has been arrested after police allegedly found him with a fake gun in Auckland’s city centre. Armed officers took a 28-year-old man into custody near the intersection of Cook and Hobson Sts about 4.45pm today. Inquiries had been underway when police received information the man was on Nelson St in the central city.

Emergency services were called to Wellington St, near Union St about 3.10pm. Person fighting for life after water-related incident in OpotikiEmergency services were called to Wellington St, near Union St about 3.10pm. Photo / NZMEOne person is in a critical condition after a water-related incident at a property in Opotiki. Emergency services were called to Wellington St, near Union St about 3.10pm. A police spokesperson said one person was in a critical condition.

Coming from a commercial fishing background, Shields said allowing more species to be landed would not address the underlying problem. “The problem is not commercial fishing – our people need to eat,” he said. “The problem is the system and what’s allowed.”Shields said at the centre of that system was bottom trawling. Shields said fish caught in bottom-trawl nets are often crushed or hauled rapidly to the surface from deep water, making their survival on release unlikely. Many common trawl bycatch species do not take baited hooks, meaning they are far less likely to be caught and killed in the first place.

Wellington saw a 28.7% fall in spending compared to 2024, while Taranaki registered a 15.1% fall in spending. Across the top of the North Island, Northland and Auckland saw an 11.6% fall in Boxing Day spending, while Waikato registered a 13.8% fall. Photo / Rawpixel, 123RFBoxing Day retailers in the Bay of Plenty saw a 14.2% drop in spending last year compared to the year before. The only regions to see a rise in Boxing Day spending were Gisborne, Nelson and Marlborough. Despite overtaking Boxing Day as New Zealand’s busiest shopping day, Black Friday shopping was down compared to the same day in 2024.