Robinson crashes out of another giant slalom race
Alice Robinson competing in the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, on Saturday. Photo: Getty ImagesQueenstown skier Alice Robinson has failed to finish the first run of a giant slalom, on a course set by co-coach Nils Coberger, for the second race in a row. Meanwhile, Wānaka's Finley Melville Ives came second in his Freeski World Cup event in Calgary on Saturday. The 26-year-old reigning slalom world champion took her third World Cup win - after two slaloms last season - by setting the pace in the first run down Kranjska Gora's Podkoren piste. Scheib, with three wins and two second places in giant slalom so far this season, leads Rast in the standings by 119 points.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 04, 2026 00:20 UTC
ODT quiz: January 4
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Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 23:39 UTC
Littler storms to another world darts title
Photo: Action Images via ReutersEngland's Luke Littler has thrashed Dutchman Gian van Veen to win the PDC World Darts title for the second successive year in front of a raucous Alexandra Palace crowd. The 18-year-old dropped the first set in the best-of-13-set showdown in London but hit back to stamp his authority on Van Veen, who had no answer to Littler's relentless scoring on Saturday. The 23-year-old Van Veen beat Anderson to reach his first world championship final and initially looked dangerous. Having come from behind in the first set to take it after Littler missed a double, Van Veen then went 2-0 ahead in the second set with checkouts of 145 and 127. Van Veen narrowly missed a 127 checkout that would have given him a two-set lead and that proved the turning point as his dream of emulating former Dutch champions Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld evaporated.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 23:31 UTC
Charges after fight at Cromwell campsite
PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONA man is to appear in a Dunedin court after an assault on three people at a Central Otago campsite, police say. Sergeant Regan Price, of Cromwell, said in a statement a fight took place at the Champagne Gully camping area about 10pm on Friday. Police want to speak to anyone at the campsite in the Cromwell Gorge, to people who saw the incident and who have information or footage, he said. Contact police through 105 either online or over the phone using reference number 260103/2900. A 33-year-old would appear in the Dunedin District Court tomorrow charged with assault, Sgt Price said.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 23:31 UTC
Venezuela diaspora celebrates Maduro's deposition
In Peru's capital Lima, dozens of Venezuelans gathered, many wrapped in their country's flag, to mark Maduro's deposition. President Donald Trump did not provide specific answers to repeated questions from reporters about how the US would run Venezuela. US President Donald Trump on Saturday promised to put Venezuela under American control for now, including by deploying American forces if necessary. Trump did not provide specific answers to repeated questions from reporters about how the US would run Venezuela. Trump said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in touch with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez - Maduro’s presumptive successor.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 23:22 UTC
Luke Littler wins back-to-back darts world championship titles with dominant display over Gian van Veen
Littler becomes just the fourth back-to-back Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) champion alongside Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson. Photo / PDCBoth players missed multiple darts to claim the opening set, before van Veen pinged double four to hold throw. His new ranking means he’s now the top-ranked Dutch player in the world, surpassing van Gerwen who had held the title since 2012. “He played phenomenal,” van Veen told Sky Sport. “He’s a fantastic player which is why he’s world number one by a margin now.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 23:02 UTC
Ōmakau burglary: Police appeal for sightings after ute stolen with dogs inside
NZ Herald Morning News Update | US forces capture Venezuela's leader and managers of Swiss Bar placed under criminal investigation. Video / NZ HeraldAn Otago man whose ute was stolen with his dogs still inside says he hopes the burglar has given the dogs water. Jacob Nolan said he had stopped in at a friend’s house in Ōmakau around 1pm yesterday to wish him a happy new year when the incident occurred. “I pulled up there and I turned the truck off, took the keys out and put them in the cupholder as I always do,” he said. “I went inside and before I even sat down, old mate was in the truck and gone.”Nolan said he was confused as he watched the burglar enter the vehicle and start the car.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 22:57 UTC
Peters: NZ concerned at US action in Venezuela
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters. Photo: ODT filesForeign Minister Winston Peters has made the government's first statement following the US military action against Venezuela, saying New Zealand is "concerned". "New Zealand is concerned by and actively monitoring developments in Venezuela and expects all parties to act in accordance with international law," Peters said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), using the official Minister of Foreign Affairs account. The military action comes after months of accusations from the Trump administration that Venezuela has been shipping narcotics into the US, but Trump has made no secret of his desire to access Venezuela's natural reserves. In theory, Gillespie said it appeared the US military action was unlawful.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 22:46 UTC
Trump seizes Maduro in Caracas raid as US moves to control Venezuela oil
One aspect that became clearer was the White House’s motivation, with Trump indicating regime change and Venezuela’s oil riches were the major goals. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro onboard the USS Iwo Jima after the US military captured him, according to US President Donald Trump. Smoke billowing over Caracas after a series of explosions as part of a US military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Madruo. Maduro – in power since 2013 after taking over from leftist mentor Hugo Chavez – long accused Trump of seeking regime change in order to control Venezuela’s oil reserves. Trump has offered several justifications for the aggressive policy towards Venezuela, at times stressing illegal migration, narcotics-trafficking and the country’s oil industry.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 22:35 UTC
This isn’t a housing market meltdown, it’s a full-blown crash – Liam Dann
If you are in Auckland or Wellington, the current property market slump is one of the worst in New Zealand’s history. The REINZ house price index, which came out on Thursday, fell by 0.5% in seasonally adjusted terms in July. A decade ago, when house price rises were in overdrive, the RBNZ ran stress tests that looked at the impact of house price falls of both 20% and 30% on the banking system. We are clearly, as the RBNZ and many others (including myself) warned, overly reliant on the property market to bolster our economic growth. The idea of an extended property sector downturn that helps revitalise the productive is nice in theory.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 22:32 UTC
Help sought to find dogs in 'stolen' ute
Police are appealing for sightings of this white Holden Colorado ute. Photo: NZ PoliceCentral Otago police investigating a burglary in Alexandra want the public’s help to locate a related vehicle. ‘‘A second vehicle, a white Holden Colorado ute, was stolen from Ōmakau about 1pm - and it is this vehicle police are seeking," Sgt Price said. Photo: Supplied/ FacebookA trailer, and the ute owner’s dogs, were with the vehicle at the time it was stolen, he said. ‘‘The trailer has been found, but the ute and dogs have not yet been located.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 22:27 UTC
‘Smash the taniwha’: Riqi Harawira’s journey from addiction to redemption and being back on stage
An early 1990s promotional photo of the Dead Flowers with Bryan Bell (second from right) and Riqi Harawira (right). Kiwi rock band the Dead Flowers released three albums in the 1990s: Skin of a Stone, Sweetfish and the 1998 self-titled Dead Flowers. Harawira’s journey into the Dead Flowers came after previous stints with Whiskey and Lace and My World Crazy bands – tipped for a bright future, but who broke up. ‘I broke my heart again’Standing on stage at Te Teko in his first gig in a three-piece covers band, Harawira asked himself: “What am I? Riqi Harawira says helping make a difference in other people's lives has been a source of pride.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 22:04 UTC
Pair drown at Northland beach
Ripirō Beach in Northland. Photo: WikipediaTwo men have drowned at a beach in Northland. Police were called about 6.50pm yesterday to reports the pair could be seen struggling in water at Ripirō Beach, between Mahuta Gap and Glinks Gully. Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) confirmed surf lifeguards responded to an incident at Glinks Gully. Police had informed surf lifeguards that two people were caught in a rip, 300 metres north of the access way at Glinks Gully, approximately 17km south of the Baylys Beach patrolled area.
Source:Otago Daily Times
January 03, 2026 21:57 UTC
ASB Classic: Low-key star Emma Navarro ready to step up at Auckland WTA event
Navarro, who first picked up a racquet as a 3-year-old, then doubled down with a spectacular 2024 season. It started with a semi-final appearance in Auckland, beaten by eventual champion Gauff, followed by her first WTA title in Hobart the following week. His company has a wide-ranging investment portfolio – from sport to hotels to real estate – and he owns two prominent tournaments, the Cincinnati Open and the Charleston WTA Open. Excited to compete again after breakBefore the ASB Classic, Navarro is feeling recharged, after a longer than usual off season, with 10 weeks in South Carolina. “For me there will be nothing really too different or too new [this week],” said Navarro.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 21:30 UTC
Inside Wilhelmina Shrimpton and Ben O’Keeffe’s dream Queenstown wedding
Even then, both of them knew that this day would eventually come...Wilhelmina and Ben's story is one of passionate and intense love. It had already been a morning of exhilaration for Ben and his groomsmen, Brendon Pickerill, Jim Knowles, Liam Scanlon and Vincent Ringrose, after surprising his mates with bungy jumps in true Queenstown fashion. Indeed, his eyes were wet as he watched his bride make her way to the white rose petal-strewn altar. Photo / Jonny Scott PhotographyBen then shared, “My whole life, I had been searching for you. “I’m the safest, happiest and most secure I’ve ever been in my whole life,” she enthuses.
Source:New Zealand Herald
January 03, 2026 20:34 UTC