Ceiling collapses, house hit by lightning in Canterbury
Photo: RNZFirefighters in Canterbury are responding to a house believed to have been struck by lightning, and another where the ceiling has caved in as a bout of severe weather crosses the mainland. It comes after MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Canterbury regions of Hurunui, Waimakariri and Christchurch City. Fire and Emergency said shortly after 2pm, it received eight weather related callouts in half an hour across Kaiapoi and Rangiora. A Hato Hone St John spokesperson said it was notified on an incident on Kingsbury Avenue, Rangiora, around 3.30pm, with one person taken to Christchurch Hospital in a moderate condition. ... More to come
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 04:03 UTC
Three generations of ‘lovely’ family lived in Pāpāmoa home where grandmother and grandson killed by slip
The Herald has also spoken to a neighbour of the family who described them as “amazing people”. “It’s just unfair, when it happens to a very lovely family, lovely people. Photo / Michael CraigThe neighbour said a New Zealand man had lived in the area for a long time. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said it could take days for families to get answers about the Mount Maunganui campground slip, given the complexities at the scene. Anxious family members of those missing have gathered at the campground awaiting news of their loved ones as recovery efforts continue.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 03:50 UTC
Family told Mount Maunganui landslide search is now 'pretty much just recovery'
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Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 03:45 UTC
Missing Southland man not seen for two weeks
Kevin John Singh Belling. Photo: Supplied / NZ PolicePolice are asking for the public’s help to find a 62-year-old man missing from the Invercargill area. Kevin John Singh Belling was reported missing on Sunday January 18, however he was last seen and spoken to on Friday January 9 at his place of business in Motu Rimu. Detective Sergeant John Kean said police had conducted a series of enquiries but have "unfortunately been unable to locate him, and are now seeking help from the public". "Police and Kevin's family have serious concerns for his welfare and would like to find him as soon as possible."
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 03:32 UTC
Overworked noodle cook awarded $86k payout
PHOTO: SUPPLIEDAn overworked and underpaid cook at a Frankton noodle restaurant has been awarded an $86,000 payout from his employer. Mr Zhang soon found himself usually working 12 hours a day, and often seven days a week. Mr Zhang finally quit the following April after becoming increasingly stressed by the situation. The complainant’s records showed he had worked excessive hours, and Mr van Keulen accepted the "constant underpayment" had caused stress that had increased over time. He ordered Mr Noodles to pay Mr Zhang $62,831 for wage arrears, to return the illegal $3730 payment, and pay him $18,000 compensation and $2250 in costs.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 02:56 UTC
Inflation rises above Reserve Bank's target rate
Stats NZ data showed the consumer price index rose 0.6 percent in the three months ended December, raising the the annual inflation rate 3.1 percent from 3.0 percent, the highest since June last year. The inflation numbers were just above economists' expectations, and more than double the Reserve Bank's (RBNZ) dated 0.2 percent quarterly and 2.7 percent annual forecasts, which were made in November. Various measures of underlying inflation pointed to an annual rate remaining steady at around 2.5 percent. The consensus among analysts has been the RBNZ will hold the official cash rate (OCR) at 2.25 percent until early next year. New Zealand's inflation rate was lower than Australia, the UK and the OECD's average of 3.9 percent, but above the sub-3 percent levels of the US and the European Union.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 02:56 UTC
Queenstown tourist attraction a dream result
PHOTOS: PHILIP CHANDLEROverlooking Queenstown’s Village Green is a unique tourist attraction that is opening this Saturday. "We just wanted to do some sort of tourist experience, we wanted to create something quite unique," Sharpe says. "You can be in a scene from your dream, basically, in any different room," Donaldson-Sharpe adds. "Our dream job, once the business is running smoothly, would be just focusing purely on the exhibitions and updating things." Sharpe: "We wanted to create something that was in town, but wasn’t crazy-Queenstown expensive."
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 02:28 UTC
Crews fight fire at fireplace factory
Photo: Gerard O'BrienFirefighters have quelled a blaze at a fireplace factory in the Dunedin suburb of Green Island. A witness at the scene said at least three fire trucks were at the Escea factory where smoke could be seen escaping from an open door in the inwards goods part of the factory. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews from Roslyn, Lookout Point and Dunedin were called to the factory at about 1.24pm after a fire alarm went off in the premises. A second alarm was transmitted and further crews and resources were called to the scene. Crews are still on the scene working to fully extinguish the fire and to ventilate the smoke-logged factory.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 02:28 UTC
TikTok says U.S. spinoff is finalized
President Donald Trump had ordered a short-term suspension of the ban last year to give TikTok time to work out a sale. TikTok said in a statement that TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC has been established and is majority American-owned, with Silver Lake, Oracle and MGX each holding a 15 percent stake. “TikTok USDS Joint Venture’s mandate is to secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm through comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity measures,” the company said. A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the TikTok deal, said that China and the U.S. had signed off on it. TikTok has some 200 million U.S. users, the company said Thursday, and the app is particularly popular with younger demographics.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 02:15 UTC
Memorial fest cranks up
Local rider Conor Macfarlane drops into Queenstown Bike Festival’s slopestyle at Wynyard Jump Park’s Mini Dream last Sunday. PICTURE: JAMES ALLAN PHOTOGRAPHYAlready seven days in, the action-packed Queenstown Bike Festival concludes with a very special McGazza Fest over the next three days. It’s in memory of local mountain bike legend Kelly ‘McGazza’ McGarry who died 10 years ago, on February 1, aged only 33, after suffering a cardiac arrest while riding the Fernhill Loop. McGazza Fest begins tomorrow with McGazza Mega Train, from Skyline at 6pm and finishing at Atlas bar. McGazza Fest concludes Sunday with the McGazza Memorial Ride at 11am up to Kelly McGarry table at the top of the Fernhill loop track where he died — "the idea is to finish the ride he started" — and the popular Gorge Road Jam from 3pm for kids and 5pm for adults.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 01:49 UTC
Police resume search for missing driver swept away in Mahurangi River flood
The vehicle and its driver remain unaccounted for, despite a police-led operation that is now in its third day. Water levels have subsided overnight, allowing for additional resources to be brought into the area, Waitematā North Police Senior Sergeant Carl Fowlie said. Police and volunteers are on day three of an expanded river and land search for the missing man. Photo / Jason DordayPolice Search and Rescue, along with 17 Land Search and Rescue members, a water rescue crew from Fire and Emergency and a police drone, will be carrying out ground-based and aerial searches along the riverbanks today. A man and his vehicle are missing after being washed away at the crossing on Wednesday morning.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 23, 2026 00:35 UTC
Hunt on for gunman after three shot dead in New South Wales
Police are scouring a "large search area" for a shooter who killed three people and injured a fourth in a small town in New South Wales' central west before fleeing in a vehicle. Locals in Lake Cargelligo, about 550km west of Sydney, have been told to stay indoors and report any suspicious activity after the attack on Thursday afternoon. A 32-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were killed when bullets were fired into their vehicle about 4.20pm on Bokhara St, Lake Cargelligo. A short time later, a 50-year-old woman was shot dead at nearby Walker St, and a 19-year-old man was also shot and taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition. "As there has been a number of shootings and the offender has not been detained - please stay indoors until the advice changes."
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 00:24 UTC
Extreme rainfall events a 'peek into the future'
Photo: Supplied via RNZBy Kate Newton of RNZLa Niña conditions and background climate change trends combined to create the intense rainfall that devastated North Island communities, climate experts say. Photo: Supplied / Earth Sciences New ZealandEarth Sciences New Zealand chief climate scientist Sam Dean said New Zealand's mountainous terrain did not help. "[But] we do believe we are seeing more extreme rainfall events occurring. "The planet has been very warm the last couple of years and it's been a rapid warming... so it's like getting a peek into the future." Warmer air can hold more moisture so you tend to get heavier rainfall... That's the climate change trend."
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 23, 2026 00:20 UTC
Film crew tipped off about Tom Phillips shootout before family told
Tom Phillips died following a shootout with police in September 2025. However, RNZ understands his family was not told until after 7.30am, and the mother was not told until after 8am. "Subsequent announcements confirmed that Tom Phillips had been fatally shot during the incident." RNZ asked police why the documentary crew were informed before relatives, and what the text message said. Rogers said the message informed a member of the documentary crew there had been a critical incident relating to Tom Phillips.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 22, 2026 23:56 UTC