For pioneering Dacre dairy farmer Bruce Dinnington, who runs a robotic milking shed, the biggest issue was water.“We coped fine. We have a diesel generator in the cow shed here anyway – six milking robots for 650 cows,” he says.“All robotic farmers have back up generators.""Our big issue has been water,” he says.The bore was situated near his old cow shed on the farm, 800m away.“That lasted 24 hours before we ran out, I tried to buy water.""Water carriers were working 24 hours a day as it was so difficult to keep up.”Their power was restored last Friday night then by mid Saturday morning it went off again.“They couldn’t find the fault and said they’d be back when they had spare time to find it.”Bruce Dinnington's cows kept milking through his robotic milking shed thanks to already installed generators. Photo: SuppliedPower was restored several days ago.By Tuesday Bruce had secured a larger generator for the house so that they could have hot water, whereas they’d been surviving on a small household one until then to run their freezers.He knew of people who drove to Christchurch to get generators.“In those first 48 hours the cows can be in trouble.""The ones who waited were probably in trouble, he says.Bruce reckons the November winds of 1996/97 were “every bit as devasting” in the south though.Photo: SuppliedMeanwhile near Matarau, netball umpiring legend Colleen Bond says a huge tree came crashing down on the end of their 16-day horse stables.Thankfully her son, Lyndon, was offered stable space nearer Gore.Fortunately, the horse on that end escaped uninjured.Power was out to the stables.“We’ve never seen or experienced wind like that wind that came through. It was horrific,” Bond says.“You couldn’t even see through the rain.”The horses had to go to Gore or Wyndham tracks to be jogged, but we are very fortunate that a good friend has allowed my son some stable space.“You just don’t know that’s coming,” she says.There’s no preparation.

A linesman working to repair Southland's stricken power network following severe weather says the past week has been "apocalyptic".Around 2200 customers are still without power following a freak storm on 23 October which threw the region into a state of emergency.PowerNet distribution team leader Rob Wylie is one of those leading the charge to fix that, and said the situation was like nothing he'd seen previously."I've worked with a lot of guys in various depots that have been here a lot longer than I have, and they're the same. I don't think anyone in the company's seen sort of damage like this before."Wylie said some staff were working up to 15 hours a day just to complete jobs, but progress was being made and spirits were high."It's day by day. It's just chipping away now. It's been a long haul to get where we are, and there's still a lot to go, but the morale's up, the teams are all pretty happy you know. Everyone's giving each other a bit of stick."On Friday afternoon, teams were working to restore power at Mitchell Rd in a rural area of Southland, just north of Riverton/Aparima.Emergency Management has described the restoration as complex because of widespread damage, and Wylie said there were challenges such as water pooling on the sides of roads - areas where they tended to operate.PowerNet team leader Rob Wylie says the damage to the region from last week's storm is the worst he's seen on the job. Photo: Matthew Rosenberg/LDRThe work itself was similar to day-to-day operations except now it was all happening at once, Wylie said.A key focus was getting high voltage feeders back in, which he described as the main arteries coming down the road which fed multiple transformers into people's houses."Once you get them on you can start livening up sort of communities and areas, as opposed to just focusing on individual properties."Fred Allan and Josidy Tallada are some of the workers improving the outlook for those still without power in Southland. Photo: Matthew Rosenberg/LDRPeople experiencing outages are encouraged to report them through PowerNet's Facebook page/online form, or by calling 0800 808 587.Southland remains under a state of emergency, which was extended on Thursday night by district mayor Rob Scott.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Fraser Guise, of Winton’s STIHL SHOP drove 2000kms to Nelson and back in 29 hours with his dad, former farmer Merv Guise, to collect more than 50 generators, and has another 35 on the way, all pre-ordered.Frustrated with the trucking company whose Christchurch staff told him last Friday that they could only get the generators to Christchurch where they would sit until after the long weekend, likely arriving on Wednesday, Fraser did the job himself.He and Merv set off at 6pm on Friday, arriving back from Nelson with the generators at 1.30am Sunday, some of the customers that desperate that they came and collected them at that hour.Fraser and his dad were both getting pretty exhausted by the time they hit Dunedin on the way home.“We were swapping drivers at every town.”Fraser missed his one-year-old son Mac’s first birthday Friday evening just to do the good turn.Fraser and Merv Guise load up with generators in Nelson in an effort to supply their Southland client's businesses and households. Photo: SuppliedIt was a stressful wait for his wife, Sarah, back in Winton with their three-year-old and one-year-old, and no power at their home.“I went to my in-laws as they had power, and communications were down so I didn’t know where they were,” she says.“Yeah, Sarah and I were having discussions about me going, but I’d made my mind up,” Fraser grins. “I’m not open to suggestions from other people when I’ve made my mind up.”The good turn was reciprocated when the long-distance drivers returned.“Our amazing staff all turned out last Sunday morning during a long weekend without being asked to help unbox and run up the generators ready for people.”His parents and Sarah’s also helped.There was so much at stake, or steak!“Not only has it been vital to keep water pumps moving for dairy farmers, but most farmers have thousands of dollars’ worth of meat in their freezers, Fraser says.“The pharmacy also had stock that needed to be kept cold and urgently needed a generator.”He reckons they’d probably sold 20 times the generators they’d sell in a year since the storm struck last Thursday.The greatest need seemed to be getting robotic automatic milk feeders going for calves and power to get pumps working to get water to stock troughs.Farmers with virtual fences were also needing power to run the collars on the cows to keep them in their assigned paddocks.Fraser’s since been faced with a big rush on chainsaws coming in for repair and customers needing to get generators going that have been stored in sheds as Southlanders get stuck into the cleanup.“One friend at Groper’s Bush has 100 trees down on his farm,” he saysAs for wee Mac, Mum was concerned she didn’t even get to give him his present on Friday as their business was so busy, but he was none the wiser.

Some beautiful stories are emerging of kindness, generosity and going the extra mile as the ‘she’ll be right’ Southland spirit has kicked in with rural pockets, some close to Invercargill, lasting more than five days without power, others still affected.In Tuatapere, Central and Western Archive Community and Heritage Hub manager Suzie Best and her husband Grant were warm, cosy and well fed, among a number of those in Southland who already live “off the grid”.Tuatapere was 35 hours – two days with no power, no water and no communications with the outside world.“We use a wood stove for our heating and cooking, heating water and that all that on there,” she says. “We had more visitors in two days than we’d had in a year."“We had others we knew on a farm who were off grid and came into Tuaptapere township and nobody was at the Four Square or shops, no one was at work.""They were like, ‘Where is everyone?” she says.The lack of communications was a big thing.”No one knew that Four Square was giving free food, or that the local fire station was being manned for any emergencies,” Best says.“There was no civil defence person on the ground. We couldn’t get internet or Facebook,” she says.“I believe the community board has raised its hand to say something needs to be done about this.”While it was a tough time for many, thankfully, Tuatapere’s lack of any water meant the township got priority to have power restored for health and safety reasons, she says.“I know of people with medical conditions who didn’t have water, so it would’ve been very frightening and could’ve gotten very serious very quickly.”Neighbours up the road who own a Jersey stud had to march their cows up the road to let the milk off, losing some $16,000.“There was a big scramble for generators and milking sheds,” she says.But even for the off-grid experts there have been still been lessons learned.“Our two majors were not having enough stored water and fuel on hand.""We couldn’t use solar as the bad weather went on for days and we nearly ran out of fuel for the generator we have here.""Other friends had a generator but no fuel.""You can’t store too much fuel as it’s an insurance ‘no no’ and it passes its use by date,” she says.“If you have a generator keep as much fuel as you’re allowed under your insurance,” Best says.They only had a couple of litres of fuel, their back-up generator chewing through two litres a day.“We needed to fuel our freezer, so we had to be very careful."“We all got a little bit lax as we didn’t expect it.""People thought it wouldn’t happen here.”No Eftpos or means to purchase anything was another biggie.“We’re 100kms from the nearest banks – Invercargill and Te Anau, so people don’t keep cash here,” she says.Suzie and Grant switched to solar power, living off the grid, after being caught out in Christchurch during the earthquakes, then cyclones living up the West Coast.“We thought, never again."“Make sure you’re prepared as it’s gonna happen – be prepared.”Muneer Ahmed, who owns Tuatapere’s Hungry Hippo had to close throughout the power outage.“My tills were gone completely and the day before I’d deposited all my cash in the bank,” he says.However, rural Southland resilience kicked in.The local Four Square owners put on a barbecue-sausage sizzle outside the store, contributing food, as did Muneer and other businesses, and the locals all helped out.“People were sweet,” he says.Tuatapere’s Tui Base Camp owner James Garthwaite, who has five arms to his tourism and hospitality business, says they had guests stuck there in their accommodation.“We were having to get water in for them for the toilets using buckets and drench containers.”While he couldn’t operate without water or power, some locals had cash and he kept a bit of a tab for them if they wanted to buy a few beers from the bottle store.“We had a few stressed mums in wanting cigarettes,” he grins.In true Tuatapere spirit they carried on with the local raffle night and Happy Hour on Thursday night using lanterns and other means with the fire cranked up.“I found a big container of frozen stew that I heated on the fire and I boiled some instant mash and dished that up for people for $10 a feed.”He says everyone was helping each other, sharing generators and he loaned his chiller trailer to another business.In a repeat of this kind of emergency James says he’d make the decision earlier on to secure a generator and have a lot more bottled water on hand, handing out what spare he had to others.Spare fuel would also be a must, he says.“Next time I’d be sure at what point we should get generators and empty food into our bigger freezers.”Tui lost several thousand dollars, but he says others would’ve lost so much more.Fortunately, the busy Hump Ridge season was just opening now.

Households along Taylor Road East at Makarewa, on the outskirts of Invercargill, who were five days and three hours without power and water, were rejoicing when they finally got power back on on Tuesday afternoon.“We used a bucket to retrieve water from our water tank outside to fill the toilet cisterns and flush,” resident and Invercargill kindy teacher Emma Piggott says.She took loads of dishes to the kindy to wash on Saturday and little four-year-old son Fletcher was actually enjoying his baths in a bucket in town at Dad’s work.No storm or power outage was going to stop 4-year-old Fletcher Piggott enjoying his bath, even if it was in a bucket. Photo: SuppliedThey’d been cooking on the barbecue and boiling vegetables on top of the fire.Then on Saturday when her husband went to golf he scored a generator for the neighbourhood.“Someone he was playing golf with very generously dropped a generator off to us. It made a big difference, even just having lights,” she says.A neighbour who was away also offered their freezer as spare.“It’s the organising and admin,” Piggott says, with she and her husband having to work in town each day too.Neighbours had been a big help. “Our four-year-old was washing his hands and when the water didn’t flow he left the tap fawcett up not realising,” she says.“I walked into the hall and there was water overflowing out of the basin into the toilet and hallway.""It took 10 towels to clean it up and my neighbour came and took them all into town and washed them for me.“Lucky he’s cute. You’ve just got to laugh,” she says.The Hazley family wrapped up and broke out the camping gear during their extended time off-grid. Photo: Supplied“We did alright. We’re quite a close community,” neighbouring resident Campbell Hazley, who was equally busy in his role as a fire protection building compliance supervisor, says.“We sourced a few generators and shared them around the street to run our freezers, running a tank of petrol through the generator then passing it on and rotating.”Four households used the generator to run their water pump. “We filled the bath tub and used that to flush out our toilets, but food safety was a big thing, so we were very conscious of that and extra careful,” Hazley says.He broke out the solar camping gear and lights, using their wee off-grid tenting system, so they could charge their phones from that too – that kept his kids 11 and 14 happy.Family and friends in the city obliged with showers.At work Hazley had the extra concern that fire alarm systems were running out of power, usually lasting three days.“We were concerned about some possibly having no protection.” One rest home client needed larger batteries put in to keep their system going.”The Hazley’s new home was well insulated but only heated by electricity.“As long as we got two to three hours of sun in the windows and we started earlier with slippers and a jumper we were good.”A school bus shelter in Makarewa decided to relocate itself - off its piles during the region's recent strong winds. Photo: SuppliedSunday and Monday required a drive to keep warm.“I will be keeping an eye out for secondhand generators coming up in the next few weeks,” he says.A tree had fallen on the power lines feeding their road and with only eight or so households affected they were not such a priority for power to be restored, he says.It was very nice to have the heat pump going and hot water on Tuesday night, but there wasn’t much time to sit and enjoy that.“It was a busy night with [pipe] band practice and I was racing out the door,” he says.

Southland Federated Farmers vice president Kass Rauber said earlier this week some farmers were still badly affected after 130 hours with no mains power, following the violent storm that swept Southland two weeks ago.“They’d put generators into houses using a power chord through a window but they weren’t hard wired, Rauber says.“That has meant no appliances, no heat pump or hot water cylinder.""A lot of fuel tanks are all hard wired in now too.”All of these extra jobs each day had loaded up farmers.“Some are under a fair bit of stress and pressure.""There’s been some awesome community hubs set up at sports clubs and the likes,” he says.He believed that on Monday afternoon Fonterra estimated some 190 Southland farmers were still using generators and that excluded some areas.Deer farmers were also affected with velvet needing to be kept chilled in freezers and deer needing velveted.“We had people ringing to say they wanted generators to operate their deer handling.”Sheep farmers using automative lamb feeders were also affected.“There was a huge demand from livestock,” he says.Rauber says it was the first time there had been such a big event like this that was so widespread wiping out all of Southland, much of Otago and parts of Canterbury.“It’s put a huge drain on resources in the South Island.""Southland wasn’t even in the severe weather warning.""We were hit hard, quick and violently and a lot were caught off guard,” he says.

Fiordland's popular Lake2Lake Trail, between Te Anau and Manapouri, is finally set to become a fully off-road experience after The Fiordland Trails Trust (FTT) secured its last remaining key consents and agreements.The 28km multipurpose trail was first started in 2015 and follows the east side of the Upper Waiau River, however a small area of National Park - where biking is prohibited - forced FTT to search for alternative routes, including using a 2km section of State Highway 95.The new Balloon Loop and Supply Bay Road route, over PAMU and Department of Conservation managed land, will skirt around the national park but now remain completely off-road.Construction of the Lake2Lake's new Balloon Loop to Supply Bay Road section (in blue) is expected to start in 2026-27. Fiordland National Park boundary (yellow). Graphic: FTT/SuppliedFTT Chair David Boniface said the resource consents, granted by Southland District Council and Environment Southland, and a Community Agreement signed with the Department of Conservation, were a major milestone and marked years of commitment and perseverance.“It has been a very long road to get to this point, but we are absolutely thrilled to have consents and agreements in place.""This means we can finally deliver a fully off-road Lake2Lake Trail - a safer, world-class experience for locals and visitors alike.”Fiordland Trails Trust's Lake2Lake trail. Photo: Fiordland Trails TrustBoniface said having to direct users onto State Highway 95 had never sat well with the Trust.“Along with cyclists, other trail users, and NZTA, we’ve long held serious safety concerns about the requirement for trail users to go on road – on a busy State Highway – no less - for part of their journey.""Even with widened road shoulders, it really is not satisfactory.”“While the [new] route is not our original preference, it is an excellent compromise and it will contain many features including superb river views and vistas across farmland to the Takitimu Mountains,” Boniface said.With permissions secured, the focus now turns to fundraising the more than $600,000 required to build the remaining 5.4km of trail, he said.A dedicated fundraising committee has been established and is already exploring multiple funding pathways, with construction targeted to begin in 2026/2027.The finish line is finally in sight, Boniface said.FTT welcomes any expressions of support and these can be emailed to [email protected] Angus & Associates impact assessment concluded that the Lake2Lake trail attracts over 5000 out-of-town users annually and has generated more than $3m for the area, as of March 2023. In addition, nearly $1m has been generated from three major events that regularly use the trail.

A relaxed day out combining boutique-style shopping with something for everyone in the stunning garden setting of the Hideaway 201 is what the popular Southern Artisan Christmas Fête is all about.‘Come and make a day of it with friends or family’ says event organiser Jane Gilchrist - ‘there will be an amazing array of quality artisan stallholders to shop from in a gorgeous garden setting so it’s a fantastic day out’.This year marks the 18th anniversary of the annual fete, an event which attracts visitors from far and wide each year.Mrs Gilchrist said shoppers told her what they enjoyed most about the event was the great relaxed atmosphere within the garden, exciting new stalls, supporting local businesses & NZ made, the opportunity to spend time with friends and to find something different for Christmas presents.There will be more than 170 stallholders at the Southern Artisan Christmas Fete this year, including Yunca with their outdoor fires, Morrifield greenhouses and a large range of quality stalls showcasing garden sculpture, womens and childrens clothing & accessories, art, jewellery, home accessories & decor, skincare, plants and garden furniture and more.There will also be a selection of food stalls selling tasty morsels to eat on the day, such as burgers, cupcakes, steamed buns & dumplings, whitebait bites, woodfired pizza, fried chicken skewers, Hungarian fried bread with delicious toppings, Thai finger food, and cakes, slices and truffles along with Pimms, local whiskey, coffee, smoothies & iced tea.Stallholders will also be able to buy gourmet food treats to take home such as pesto, biltong, pickles, honey, whiskey, seasonings & rubs, cheese, chocolate, muesli, port and fresh flowers.The Hideaway restaurant and bar will be open on-site for lunch, cocktails and coffee.While shopping or indulging in some tasty treats, visitors will be able to enjoy listening to live music provided by Little Egypt with garden soloists and a full band during the lunch break so come along and soak it all in!The Southern Artisan Christmas Fete supports Southland community group fundraising efforts each year.This year the fete is supporting the Winton Lions Club, Hospice Southland, Soroptmist International GORE, Waihopai Primary School and Ronald McDonald House South Island.With a wide range of NZ made quality stalls, live music, and delicious artisan food all set in the heart of rural Southland, the Southern Artisan Christmas Fete is the perfect way start to your Christmas shopping or just enjoy a day out in the country.This year there is the added bonus of an amazing prize up for grabs worth $750 – any pre-purchased entry or lunch box ticket will be in the draw to win! A night at The Langlands Hotel plus a dinner voucher, coffee voucher from The Batch cafe, Hunting & Fishing voucher, a fresh bouquet of flowers from All for Love Flowers, a beauty float treatment from Beauty & Beyond and a photoshoot location voucher and restaurant voucher from The Hideaway 201 – this could be yours!Southern Artisan Christmas Fête, The Hideaway 201, Saturday, November 22nd 2025, 10am-4pm. $20 pre-purchased entry or $50 pre-purchased gourmet lunch box tickets or $20 gate entry on the day, cash only.A fabulous Destination Southland giveaway prize is up for grabs – pre-purchase any gate or lunch box ticket to go in the draw to win the weekend getaway prize worth over $750 - https://events.humanitix.com/http-www-southernfete-co-nzwww.southernfete.co.nz

A solo day walk turned into a rescue mission when Southland was in a state of local emergency.Southland Police are urging anyone heading into the bush to make sure they’re doing it safely after a day walker became lost attempting the Makarewa Falls Track on a stormy Labour Day.Sergeant Alun Griffiths from Police Search and Rescue, Southland, says Police were alerted through the iPhone emergency satellite system shortly after 5pm on Monday. “There was significant tree fall in the area, and she’d lost her way.“With limited gear and no navigational aid, we told her to stay put.”Snow was low on the bush line, and the ambient temperature was a mere two degrees, so Police responded swiftly with Land Search and Rescue teams from Gore and Invercargill.“Thankfully we found her, but she was very cold,” he says.She was given dry clothes and hot drinks then, once sufficiently warm, was assisted out to the carpark around 10pm."We’re lucky to have great access to stunning scenery in this part of the country,” Sergeant Griffiths says.“But we recommend when people head into the bush, they do it safely.“Assess the weather and conditions and take sufficient gear for your activity.“Carry two forms of communication.“Even experienced hikers can end up in situations where they need help."If you are going outdoors, no matter if it is hiking, hunting or climbing, please follow the five simple steps of the Land Safety Code:Choose the right trip for youLearn about the route and make sure you have the skills for it.It is important to choose a trip that suits everyone in your group.When you are looking at options, make sure to think about everyone's fitness levels and experience in the outdoors.Understand the weatherNew Zealand weather can change fast.Check the forecast and change your plans if needed.Weather can make or break a trip.It is one of the most important things to consider when going into the outdoors.Pack warm clothes and extra foodPrepare for bad weather and an unexpected night out.Any trip, even if it is short and easy, needs preparation.Packing the right things can make trips safer and more enjoyable.Share your plansTelling a trusted person about your trip details and taking a personal locator beacon can save your life.We all want our trips to go as planned - but sometimes they don't.If you get hurt or lost on your trip, how would you get help? Leaving trip intentionsTake care of yourself and each otherEat, drink, and rest, stick with your group and make decisions together.The best way to enjoy your experience in the outdoors and make it home safely is to look out for one another.Distress beacons can be hired for as little as $10 from many Department of Conservation Visitor Centres, and outdoor tramping and hunting stores.If you have purchased a beacon, make sure to register it at www.beacons.org.nzMore information on trip planning can be found at: Trip Planning — NZMSC

Slips, flooding and track damage from the recent wild weather has further disrupted the start of the summer Great Walk season across Fiordland, Southland and Otago.Hikers are being warned to watch out for heavy snow and the risk of avalanches. DOC Southern South Island Operations Director Aaron Fleming said rangers have not yet been able to access and fully assess conditions in many areas due to ongoing severe weather and the vast area to cove.“We’re asking people to think carefully before heading out and urge them be prepared to turn back or change their plans if needed. “Naturing is about connecting with the outdoors, but that connection also means respecting nature’s power and knowing when to pause or change plans.” Heavy snow and avalanche risk are key concerns, particularly on the alpine passes.The Routeburn Track is partially closed, with the section between Routeburn Falls Hut and Lake MacKenzie Hut inaccessible due to waist-deep snow and significant avalanche danger. The Milford Track’s reopening has been pushed back by another week due to ongoing avalanche risk after recent snowfall.The track was already delayed by two weeks earlier this month because of avalanche damage. The opening date for the Milford Track is now expected to be 19 November.The Kepler Track is expected to be inaccessible between Luxmore Hut and Iris Burn Hut for up to a week due to avalanche risk, and has also been affected by flooding in low-lying areas. Booked hikers affected by the closures will be contacted and offered refunds. In some cases (such as the Routeburn), alternative options may be available, and DOC staff will discuss these directly with walkers when they get in touch. Conditions and the weather are changing quickly, so visitor patience is appreciated as DOC staff work through contacting customers ahead of their planned walks. In southern Fiordland, the Hump Ridge Track has also sustained some storm damage however is fully open. There is also damage to tracks and infrastructure in other parts of the region, including the Catlins, Forest Hill Scenic Reserve, and a large slip on the Dart Track in Mount Aspiring National Park. “Our teams are trained and ready to carry out the necessary repair and avalanche control work, but we need a break in the weather to get in safely,” said Flemming. Safety for both staff and visitors remains our top priority. We will directly contact booked hikers if any further delays or disruptions are expected. “We want to get these tracks safe and repaired as quickly as possible.""Teams have been out this week making repairs where they can, and we’re bringing in more people and resources as weather conditions improve.” Visitors are advised to check the DOC website for the latest track alerts before setting out. DOC will provide another update on the impacted Great Walks on Friday 7 November.

Below is a list of programmed works for next week. These are also mapped HERE. *NB the planned Tour of Southland scheduled for 2nd – 8th November is now taking place from the 18th – 16th January 2026 due to the current state of emergency in Southland Key renewal sites in Southland currently under construction:SH1 Bluff highwayRenewal of almost 3km of SH1 between Clifton and Motu Rimu Road. Traffic lights in place when required, delays of 5 -10 minutes are possible.Underway and likely to continue until mid-December SH93 Old Coach RoadRenewal of almost 2.5km of SH93 near Slopedown-School Road. Traffic lights in place, delays of 5 -10 minutes.Underway and likely to continue until mid-December SH94 at The KeyRenewal of 3km of SH94 between Princhester Road and Blackmount-Redcliff Road. Traffic lights in place, significant delays. Underway and likely to continue until mid-December SH96 Wreys Bush-Nightcaps highwayRenewal of almost 1.5km of SH96 between Wreys Bush-Mossburn Road and Lynch Road. Traffic lights in place, delays of 5 -10 minutes.Underway and likely to be completed early next week. Key renewal sites in Southland currently with earthworks and drainage underway:SH96 near Heddon Bush RoadSH96 near OhaiSH99 near Wallacetown Highways South maintenance work with stop/go or traffic lights in place:SH1 Edendale-Woodlands highway between Edendale roundabout and Downs South Road, test Pits/Surface repair (team will be off the highway by 4pm)SH6 Dipton-Winton highway at Hundred Line Road, sealingSH6 Five Rivers-Lumsden highway north of Lumsden, pavement stabilisationSH6 Five Rivers-Lumsden highway north of Lumsden, pavement stabilisationSH6 between Caroline and Josephville, watercuttingSH6 between Athol and Lowther, watercuttingSH6 between Athol and Lowther, watercuttingSH6 between Athol and north of Garston, watercuttingSH96 Winton-Wreys Bush highway at Hundred Line Road, renewing surface water channelSH99 between Riverton and Tuatapere, watercutting**Programmed work may be delayed due to weather/other factors. Other contractor work that we are aware of:SH1 East Road near Racecourse Road, stop/goSH6 Kingston-Garston highway south of Kingston, stop/goSH93 Old Coach Road near Kaiwera Road, stop/goSH93 Old Coach Road near Kaiwera Road, lane closureSH93 Old Coach Road near Dodds Road, lane closureSH97 Mossburn-Five Rivers Road at Five Rivers, stop/goSH99 Palmerston St Riverton, stop/goUseful links:NZTA Journeys website - https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-plannerFreight Impact Register - https://www.nzta.govt.nz/commercial-driving/trucks-and-tow-trucks/potential-restrictions-affecting-freight/ - download and filter the region for ‘Southland’. This will indicate any upcoming work in the next fortnight which have closures, detours or width restrictions for freight.

Clutha and Southland residents are adapting to life on gas bottles and generators as thousands enter a second week waiting for the power to go back on.Lines company PowerNet said it had bolstered its reconnection efforts, with extra crews and seven trucks' worth of supplies, but 3670 properties were still offline across the two districts by Thursday night, the 30th of October.Severe spring storms last week, particularly on Thursday 23 October, had badly damaged infrastructure and private property in many parts of the South Island and lower North Island, with huge winds and heavy rain recorded in many places.Wind damage in Kaitangata. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd.In Kaitangata, Otago, Robyn Hale was preparing for the long haul.Last Thursday's wind brought down an enormous tree onto her house, taking out power to it and the granny flat she was now sharing with her two grandchildren.She said the three of them had been improvising - using car headlights as living room lamps, making trips to the laundromat in Balclutha, filling hot water bottles to keep warm at night, and making meals on a gas cooker."We're getting good at making two-minute noodles. I even made macaroni cheese the other night. It wasn't too bad...ish," she said.Robyn Hale and the remnants of her Kaitangata home. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd.Hale said friends had dropped off gas bottles for the cooker, which were hard to come by."We went in to get some the other day and there were none. Nowhere in Balclutha. The whole of Balclutha was cleaned out of them. There was no camping gear either, like camping lights and things like that," she said.Her house had been yellow-stickered after being sliced in half and left open to the elements.She said that apart from her cat and a wheelbarrow of food and supplies rescued by fire crews, she could not retrieve her belongings."You can see my bedroom, my bed is still made, but it's soaking wet. It rained and snowed in my bedroom the other day," she said.Hale and her granddaughter were in the house at the time the tree came crashing down with a deafening "bang", but she was relieved it had fallen on her house, not towards her older neighbours, she said.What is left of the tree that fell on Robyn Hale's home. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd.The three decorated the tree with a star before it was sent off to be chipped, and were planning a celebratory burn of the wood in a couple of years, she said."We're going to have a party when it's dry," she said.The yellow sticker on Robyn Hale's home. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd.On Tony Homer's Waitahuna farm, a span of powerlines was buried under a towering pile of macrocarpa trees, which he estimated had been standing for more than a century before last week's storm.He had been getting by with generators and satellite internet since then, but was looking forward to when it was his turn to be linked back up to the grid, and he could bring in heavy machinery to safely clear the debris.Tony Homer and the large macrocarpa trees which have fallen on his farm, taking out a span of powerline. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd."We've got generators on the houses and the woolshed. It's Groundhog Day, I suppose, filling those a couple of times a day," he said."I don't think we've ever experienced more than two days, in my memory, of power outage. So it's quite a novelty, really, but I think it will wear thin pretty soon."At the neighbouring farm, Don Murray said livestock were beginning to cotton on that the electric fences were not live."The lambs particularly are starting to test the fences a bit," he said.He too was using generators to power his freezers and hot water cylinder, but said after seven days "you wouldn't want to go on too, too long."Alistair Storer's wind-damaged sheds. Photo: RNZ/ Katie Todd.Back over near Kaitangata, Alistair Storer was facing a long clean-up of his wind-shredded farm sheds, where he said it looked like a bomb had gone off.But he was celebrating small wins as he was one of the residents to get power restored yesterday.He said the moment he realised it was back felt "bloody good.""I was sitting there in the chair reading, and I looked up and the lights on the TV were on. And I thought, shit, we've got it back," he said.Published by Permission

One of the biggest international events to ever come to Winton is set to go at Central Southland Raceway on Sunday 9 November.Ten of the world’s best harness racing drivers descend on the town on that day to fight out the fifth of six rounds of the World Drivers Championship 25.The drivers come from Italy, USA, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Sweden, Germany, France, Finland and of course New Zealand – represented by seven-time New Zealand champion Blair Orange.Orange is rated as favourite by many of the other competitors, home advantage being a factor in that favouritism. However, luck will play a big part for all the drivers with drives in the championship heats decided by draw.Rick Ebbinge of the Netherlands has won the last two World Drivers Championships and this year the Dutch representative is Jasp Van Rijn. While he has 900 career wins Van Rijn has never raced with pacers before, only trotters, so has a big learning curve ahead. 2013 Champion Pierre Vercruysse of France is among the field while the 2017 Champion, Canada’s James MacDonald, is also in the line-up and has driven 4,087 career winners. Another prolific winner over the course of his career is Giampaolo Minnnuci, who represents Italy.Gary Hall Jr of Australia will be a familiar name to many kiwis having reigned 4,171 winners and has driven in New Zealand many times before. Hall says competing in this championship is a career highlight.Completing the field is 22-year-old Brett Beckworth (USA), Santtu Raitala (Finland), Michael Nimczyk (Germany) and Mats Djuse of Sweden whose biggest win came in the Copenhagen Cup.Racing will commence at 12 noon on the day with a full day of races highlighted by four World Driver Championship heats.Drivers are matched to horses in each heat through a random draw, ensuring a level playing field, and points are awarded based on race finishes.Elsewhere on the day great prizes will be up for grabs in the Ladies Fashion In The Field competition where judging will be based on the most stylish and best dressed lady so hats and heels are essential.Hospitality and sponsorship opportunities are almost sold out so be in quick.Trackside marquee packages are also available for groups of all sizes.To make inquiries or arrange sponsorship or hospitality bookings contact the Winton Harness Racing Club through Lindsay Beer at either 021 351 499 or at [email protected]

Communities are picking up the pieces in Southland one week after a storm took its toll on the region, with more than 2800 properties still without power.Last Thursday, the region copped the full brunt of extreme weather which was described by district mayor Rob Scott as the most intense he'd ever experienced.A state of emergency will remain in place until at least Friday morning, and Emergency Management Southland is encouraging people to continue checking on friends, whānau and neighbours.PowerNet says supplies for repairs are flowing into the south but around 2,820 Southlanders remain without power.In Invercargill, mayor Tom Campbell said the clean-up was well underway with a focus on inspecting parks and reserves.“Queens Park is being inspected tree by tree and arborists are already clearing up, but it will be a long process and I don’t have a reopening date,” Campbell said on Thursday.Damage at Queens Park, Invercargill, which is closed due to last week's storm. Photo: Supplied.Trees toppled en masse across the city, and the council was concerned people were still accessing parks and reserves despite repeated warnings.Most of those spaces remained closed in Invercargill, with a similar status in place for the district's parks, reserves and playgrounds.External support has been committed to Southland to the tune of $75,000 from the Mayoral Relief Fund, and $50,000 from the Ministry for Primary Industries — split with Clutha.According to joint numbers from insurers AMI, State and NZI, more than 1100 claims were made in the region for wild weather events this month.Community events are being held to provide some support.Barbecues have taken place at Woodlands and Riverton/Aparima, while Tokanui, Dipton, Ōtautau and Mossburn are all gearing up for their turn.The PSN Cellular Network Visibility Service in action at FENZ's Wellington operations centre. Photo: Supplied.Community hubs are also open for power, internet and showers.New technology assists emergency managementA new public safety network has been made available to both Emergency Management Southland and NEMA on a temporary basis to assist with communication.The network is administered by government entity Next Generation Critical Communications (NGCC) and offers a range of functions for first responders.Those include roaming across Spark and One NZ networks, special priority for phone-use during emergencies, and maps showing network statuses.NGCC chief technical director Steve Lawrence said Kiwis came together during times of crisis and making the network available on a temporary basis was "the right thing to do”.Damage at Queens Park, Invercargill, which is closed due to last week's storm. Photo: Supplied.Environment Southland GIS team leader Geoff Welch said the network had been used to check cell coverage for welfare and operational staff as well as flood monitoring teams.“It has been very useful for both, as has the speed with which the team were able to grant us access, which is vital in these response situations,” Welch said.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.

Road OpenLow Avalanche HazardWeather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Becoming Fine Tomorrow: Fine Sunday: Showers Monday: Rain developing late Tuesday: Showers

St Peter's College's 'The Lost Larder' - a venture that turns overlooked and under-used ingredients into premium products - has been named the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) Southland Company of the Year 2025, at the competition's regional finals held at SIT Centrestage Theatre on Wednesday (29 Oct).The event required Southland’s top student business ventures to pitch before an industry judging panel - “Dragons’ Den” style.CEO of McIntyre Dick, Rachel Lock said the calibre of ideas and execution from this year's student companies had been exceptional and Southland should be proud of these emerging entrepreneurs.The Lost Larder stood out for a well validated service, sharp execution, and a compelling growth story,” she said.The venture's launch product is a refined Waituna New Zealand eel pâté, co-developed with Southland chef Ethan Flack, backed by lab testing and packaging/compliance work to meet retail and restaurant standards.The Lost Larder's mission is to celebrate Aotearoa’s wild and foraged bounty at home first, then scale nationally.Near-term goals include retail placement (e.g., specialty seafood outlets and premium grocers), Air NZ contract and strong restaurant distribution across Southland and Otago - supported by creative partnerships and early pre-orders.The Lost Larder will represent Southland at the YES National Awards in Wellington this December.2025 Southland YES Award WinnersMcIntyre Dick – Southland Company of the Year: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)SBS Bank – Financial Excellence Award: La Lueur (Verdon College)South Port NZ – Resilience Award: Ako Kiwi (James Hargest College)Vet South – Primary Industry Award: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)Rio Tinto | NZAS – Sales & Marketing Award: The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College)ILT – Murihiku Mover & Shaker Award: Aroha (Aparima College)Community Trust South – Southland Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Millie McFadzien (St Peter’s College)Special recognition - Lynne Grove (Aparima College) was presented with the YES National Teacher of the Year award, acknowledging her many years of dedication and impact supporting student entrepreneurs. Lynne will also travel to Wellington to be recognised at the YES National Awards.Nikita Rohloff, YES Southland Regional Coordinator said “Our YES teams have put in countless hours this year - customer interviews, late-night prototyping, market days and real-world problem solving and tonight was about recognising that mahi. It was very special to see them celebrated on stage in front of their families, friends, teachers and sponsors. We’re incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved and excited to see where they take these ventures next.”The evening featured pitches from five finalist companies - Glamour Glasses (James Hargest College), La Lueur (Verdon College), Sticky Steps (Southland Boys’ High School), Tiki-ni-Moana (Aparima College) and The Lost Larder (St Peter’s College) with supporters filling the theatre to cheer them on.Principal event support came from the Southland Business Chamber, with additional sponsorship from McIntyre Dick, SIT, Community Trust South, ILT, SBS Bank, Rio Tinto | NZAS, Elm Marketing, Vet South, South Port, and COIN South, alongside support from the Southern Farmers Market.

Free blood testing has finally been rolled out for nearly 24,000 people living in Te Anau and Wānaka.Paying a co-payment at the local general practice or travelling up to two hours for a free blood testing has been a bone of contention in both towns, when patients in metropolitan areas have been receiving free blood tests.The announcement was made today (31 Oct) by Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister Matt DooceyHealth Minister Brown said the rollout would mean that 4,400 people in Te Anau and 19,350 people in Wānaka could now access blood testing free of charge at their local GP."Together, these towns will deliver approximately 25,000 free blood tests every year,” he said.Minister Doocey said removing the cost barriers was an important step in improving access to healthcare, providing care closer to home for rural communities, and addressing a long-standing inequity between rural and urban areas.“This initiative will lead to earlier and more timely diagnoses for people who have previously delayed testing due to travel or cost,” Doocey says.Ministers Brown and Doocey also acknowledge the advocacy of Southland MP Joseph Mooney and Waitaki MP Miles Anderson in improving access to rural healthcare.“By listening to locals and removing barriers like cost and distance, we’re making healthcare more accessible and ensuring rural New Zealanders get the care they need, right in their own communities,” Brown said.Southland MP Joseph Mooney said he was incredibly pleased that people in the Fiordland basin would now benefit from access to free blood tests, "a vital public health service that has long been needed in our region and something I have been advocating for many years,”“This is a tangible delivery of the Government's plan to shift some services into rural settings and ensure healthcare is provided closer to communities.""It’s fantastic to see Health New Zealand and WellSouth delivering on the government's new priorities which will make a real difference for local families."Fiordland Medical Practice GP James MacMillian-Armstrong said the news was fantastic and would certainly help ease the anxiety on those who required regular or repeat blood tests."It's been a glaring inequality for a long time."You could go and get your free blood tests in Gore and Invercargill, but we have had "woefully inadequate funding.""It's a win for rural practice [and comes] on the back of years and years of beating the drum [both] locally and nationally," he said."We are pretty excited about it."MacMillian-Armstrong said that while Te Aroha haven't guaranteed it will be forever [the initial contract was for one year with a proposal to extend it up to 3-years] they were cautiously optimistic."I think the ministry is finally beginning to show some willingness to put their money where their mouth is for rural inequality.""I think it is a postive move and I think it will be very hard to go back."MacMillian-Armstrong there was still six to ten other things, including X-rays, that rural patients had to pay for that were free in other places.However things were now moving in the right direction, he said.Te Anau local and Fiordland Health Trust trustee Richard Wason said Te Anau had been pushing for free blood tests for a long time and it had been a fight to get it."People who live in the country are discriminated against.""We [also] have to pay for X-rays.""We are the furthest away from a base hospital," he said.

As the clean-up from last week’s storm continues, Fire and Emergency is asking farmers and lifestyle block owners in Otago and Southland to pause and plan before starting to burn debris.Otago District Manager Craig Geddes says people might be tempted to push fallen branches, broken fence posts and other debris into piles near where they fell and set them alight, but he says a more deliberate approach will be much safer and effective and will prevent fires from getting out of control."The last thing anyone needs now is for their fire to escape and cause more damage to their own property or the neighbours."He adds that many firefighters are also trying to clear and repair the damage on their own properties after the storm. "They too will appreciate people being extra careful to avoid causing unwanted fires at this time."Southland District Manager Julian Tohiariki says it’s understandable that people are keen to clear their properties."We’d like to remind everyone to be cautious and make sure their burn piles are a manageable size and extinguished properly so they don’t reignite and get out of hand, given that we are in our windy season."There is extensive guidance about burning on www.checkitsalright.nz including a simple "can I light a fire" tool.Tips include:- Place the burn pile on the lee side (sheltered side) at least 30 metres away from trees, hedges, sheds or other structures, and avoid powerlines.- Create a five-metre wide fire break to stop a creeping ground fire- Let the material dry out. Newly fallen branches and other green material will not burn cleanly, creating more smoke.- Before burning, always go to www.checkitsalright.nz to check that it is safe to burn and see any restrictions for your location, including if you need a fire permit.People should also check their local council’s restrictions on outdoor burning and be mindful of their regional council air quality rules.

Essential supplies needed to repair electricity networks in Southland and Otago are flowing to the southern region to replenish depleted stocks.This included thousands of kilometres of lines and other materials needed to support repairs.PowerNet Chief Executive Paul Blue said our supplier Cory’s had been doing an exceptional job in making sure PowerNet got what was needed, via seven truck-andtrailer units, air freight, and train.“Cory’s, alongside our fantastic industry colleagues from Network Waitaki, Unison, Delta, Connetics, Central Power Installations, ElectroNet and Aurora Energy, have been amazing in providing materials, staff, and equipment to support our restoration efforts. Some material supplies had run low, and the latest shipments will keep our progess moving,” he said.Mr Blue said as at 12pm on Thursday 30 October, approximately 2,820 customers in Southland and 1,550 customers in Otago remain without power.“Our expanded team is doing an exceptional job in challenging conditions. While we’ve made some great progress in getting the lights back on (and the milking sheds running) for many, there is still a significant amount of work ahead which will continue into next week,” Mr Blue said.Meanwhile, PowerNet has recently established an online form for people to log their individual faults. “We encourage people to fill the form out for friends, family, or neighbours who cannot access the form,” Mr Blue said.“This is the best way for customers to let us know their situation and to tell us more details of any damage. “Thank you to the many people have reported their individual outages to us already. We have recorded as many of these as possible, and this form allows you to provide further information to us which helps streamline our restoration process.”Customers can still call 0800 808 587 to log their fault if they can’t access the online form, however there will be a long delay in answering due to high call volumes.It’s extremely important our call centre remains available for emergency situations where there is an immediate danger.https://powernet.co.nz/outages/report-a-fault-or-power-problems/ By the Numbers as at 4pm 30/10 The Power Company Limited network (Southland) Total Customers: 38,200Customers without power: 2,200OtagoNet network (South Otago) Total Customers: 15,700Customers without power: 1,470Please note these numbers will change as we undertake repairs and identify faults on the network.