Gore Health has passed its three-yearly standards audit with flying colours, with auditors highlighting the outstanding care given to patients.The Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Services Standard audit is done by Health NZ and gives a hospital its ability to operate. Gore Health clinical manager Glenda Maxwell said the in-patient ward and the maternity unit were the areas of the hospital audited this time. “We’ve received some amazing feedback from our auditors which is great. We’re delighted, it’s wonderful news,” she said.2 The in-patient ward has 20 beds and has an average 85% occupancy rate, while the maternity unit was recognised for being the busiest primary birthing unit south of the Waitaki. Maxwell said the audit was a lengthy process, involving policies and procedures being reviewed. This is followed by an on-site process where auditors follow patient journeys from admission to discharge, including interviews with patients and their whanau. There was also a strong emphasis on interviewing staff as part of the audit, she said. “It’s a robust process to show that we’re doing what we say we are doing, and that our community have confidence in the care that we’re providing.” Gore Health received extremely positive feedback around the systems they had in place and that was reflected in feedback from patients, whanau and staff, she said. The maternity unit, which has one birthing room and four post natal beds, was highly used and valued by the community, she said. “That’s something for us to celebrate.” Occupancy rates in the in-patient ward during winter had been very high with one of the worst influenza seasons on record, Maxwell said. “There’s been some really sick people this winter.” There had been a significant increase in emergency department presentations with 10,032 admissions in the past year, a jump from about 6000 about 18 months ago. People from as far away as Invercargill, Kaitangata and Te Anau were presenting at the Gore emergency department, she said. “The auditors can see the challenges we face as a small rural hospital based in Southland with a high occupancy in our ward and the high number of presentations at our emergency department.” Maxwell said they had noticed a significant jump in the amount of public compliments to staff, recognising the quality care they were receiving, which was fantastic.

Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) graduate and emerging culinary talent, Sam Kissell, took part in the 2025 Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat finals in Sydney last week, returning home with a collection of gold medals.The 20-year-old Southlander competed on 8th September against the regional finalists from New Zealand and Australia, winning gold medals for each of his courses – entrée, main and dessert.This year’s outstanding results came from the Kiwi chefs; the overall winner was Auckland Chef, Emily Morgan, who also won three gold medals. Mr Kissell said it meant a lot; between the two of them, they brought home a total of six gold medals to New Zealand.He also appreciated having another New Zealand competitor there and spending time together over the few days in Sydney. “It was great meeting Emily; she was really encouraging and gave me some great advice for competing as she had competed in the finals once before.I couldn’t be happier for her to take out the win; she was so deserving of it, and it was a privilege to compete alongside her, and get to know her.” Mr Kissell acknowledged the last 12 months had been “pretty full-on, but it’s been great.It’s been quite a surprise … it’s been a really rewarding journey.” Completing the New Zealand Certificate in Cookery (Level 4) at SIT last year, Mr Kissell entered his first culinary competition, the 2024 South Island Regional Cook-off of the Nestlé Golden Chef's Hat Award, where he won a bronze medal, and notably, was the first chef to win the ‘Most Innovative Use of Coffee’ award.This year, “I felt good about the regionals,” he said, and won the South Island competition with his two dishes: a seared beef rump main with accompaniments, and a dessert of shortbread, lemon and white chocolate crémeux, poached rhubarb, oat and ginger crumb, and candied lemon zest.Mr Kissell said “Once I’d competed in the regionals it built my confidence,” however, the pressure went up a notch for the Sydney finals, knowing he was up against more experienced young chefs. “It was pretty daunting… There were others in the finals who’d done it before.”Experienced competition Chef, Cam Davies of The Fat Duck, Te Anau, who had mentored Mr Kissell, showed him a breathing technique for managing stress, which had helped a bit. “When I was competing, I was able to block out the nerves.”Mr Kissell’s gold-medal winning dishes in the competition final were: entrée of tofu and ricotta mousse, pickled oyster mushrooms, roasted mushrooms, toasted seaweed branches, toasted pistachios and caramelised onion broth; the main - sous vide lamb rump, honey glazed Dutch carrots, asparagus and kawakawa puree, glazed asparagus tips, petit shepherd’s pie, red wine jus; and dessert - lemon and white chocolate mousse with a rhubarb compote centre, rhubarb veil, oat shortbread, honey and ginger tuille, fresh raspberries, raspberry coulis and a rhubarb sabayon.In their feedback, the judges said Mr Kissell’s floorwork was “impeccable”, referring to cleanliness in the kitchen, methods, and the different techniques he used, for example, using a cartouche when poaching rhubarb for his dessert, and when making broth for his entrée; the method involves using a piece of baking paper to keep items submerged when cooking, also helping with cooking the products evenly and making them tender.“These are some of the little things they’re looking for; noting the professional practises I was showcasing, using the right equipment and techniques at the right times. They also really enjoyed my entrée, saying it was a strong dish, and my dessert had good flavours and textures, especially in the main component of the mousse.”SIT supported Mr Kissell with the use of their training kitchens, providing the practice sessions and ingredients, and Glenn Stridiron, Programme Manager for Hospitality and Cookery had given his time to mentor Mr Kissell. “SIT has been great; the tutors have a wealth of knowledge to share with us students and they want to see us succeed.”Mr Kissell remarked that the SIT facilities are kept to such a high standard, “having access to the SIT facilities and equipment has been crucial in preparing me for these competitions”. “Glenn even gave up his own weekends to allow me to come into the training kitchens and do run-throughs of the competition, where I was able to get feedback on my dishes, cooking techniques and methods of working.I am extremely grateful for the ongoing support of SIT.” “... I made a few mistakes while competing, but I knew how to recover [because of] the practices,” he explained. “Knowing how to adapt when things go wrong will definitely help me in my career.” Mr Stridiron was delighted Mr Kissell’s progress, noting his meteoric trajectory in the competition has happened in the space of a year.“Sam has been outstanding; from being a student at SIT, then his first competition in the 2024 Golden Chef’s Hat, through to the 2025 finals, and hopefully again in the future,” he said. “It has been an honour and a privilege to work with Sam on his journey.He is an inspiration to young (and older) chefs, due to his passion, commitment, professionalism and composure in the kitchen.” After graduating with the NZ Diploma in Cookery (Advanced) Level 5, at SIT in June, Mr Kissell worked at a luxury outback resort in the Northern Territory, Australia.Since then, he has been offered a new position at Voyager Estate, a winery in Margaret River, Western Australia. With about a week to recover from his competition schedule before moving to his new job, Mr Kissell was going to pack and catch up with friends and family.He had very proud and happy parents, as were his three siblings, saying, “I’ve had lots of hugs - my family have all been so encouraging.” There were no other chefs in Mr Kissell’s family, and he didn’t know where his cooking talent came from; although he admitted, “Dad doesn’t like cooking at all, but he’s quite good at it when he does it.” Mr Kissell is eligible to return to the competition up until the age of 24 and he has definite plans to do so.

The first aerial drop of the controversial poison 1080 into Fiordland's Murchison Mountains, will take place this summer in an attempt to protect one of the last remaining populations of southern lesser short-tailed bat/pekapeka.Famous as the location of Dr George Orbell's 1948 rediscovered of the flightless takahē, the Murchison Mountains is also home to Northern Fiordland tokoeka (kiwi), kea, whio, rock wren/tuke and - in the Ettrick Burn Valley - around 400 of the rare pekapeka.Pekapeka are now only found on predator free Whenua Hou/Codfish Island, Fiordland's Eglinton Valley, and the Murchison Mountain's Ettrick Burn Valley.The Department of Conservation Murchison Mountains operation, in response to an expected plague of predators following this summer's predicted 'mass mast' of beech tree seed, will concentrate within the 5429 ha Ettrick Burn Valley.DOC Operations Manager John Lucas said the heavy beech mast could have disastrous impacts on the tiny bat population."By the following summer the mast will be over, and all those extra predators will turn to the next available food source, our native species.""These pekapeka are especially vulnerable to rats as they forage for food on the forest floor – an unusual strategy they evolved due to New Zealand’s lack of mammalian predators.” Lucas said the timing of the operation had been carefully planned to control rat numbers before they reach high levels.“We know from our work in the Eglinton Valley that our predator control works extremely well; the short-tailed bat population there has grown from 300 to nearly 4,000 pekapeka over the years.""What we do now ahead of the mast can really make a difference.”Lucas said the Ettrick Burn Valley was only a small part of the area’s 50,000-ha takahē habitat, and takahē would - at that time of the year - typically be above the bush line so out of the planned treatment zone.However Lucas said takahē had in the past been known to eat 1080 cereal bait, so additional measures would be employed - including staff monitoring birds and attempting to relocate any found within the operational area.Consultation with iwi and key groups had already taken place and public notification will occur in the coming weeks, Lucas said.The aerial operation in the Ettrick Burn area is expected to take place in November or December this year, prior to seeding this summer, with a potential second round - if predator numbers warrant - in early 2027.

An open-ocean tugboat has started towing a stricken oil and chemical tanker off the coast of Stewart Island back to the mainland.The Golden Mind got into steering difficulties west of Rakiura last Wednesday.Maritime NZ said the tug MMA Vision began towing the ship on Tuesday morning, while the crew remained on board."The plan is still to tow the vessel to Timaru, it is expected to be completed by the end of the week," it said."Towage arrangements are made between the commercial parties involved - in this case, Golden Mind's owners and MMA Vision."Maritime NZ said the Rescue Coordination Centre was monitoring the situation.Published by permission

Young Southland motorcyclist Cormac Buchanan feels his MotoGP campaign is back on track after a disappointing run of results.Buchanan, 19, finished 17th in last weekend's San Marino Moto3 race. Not a great result but after failing to finish recently, he'll take it."Honestly, it has been a really, really tough period for me lately with three DNFs on the spin," Buchanan said."We've taken a big step forward and the confidence is back because, honestly, I had lost a lot of that since the summer break. It's good to head into the Asian tour with good feelings."Buchanan had three top 10 finishes in the first half of the season but injured his knee in a crash at the CzechGP in Brno in July and had struggled since.The summer break gave him time to recover.However, after that he also failed to finish in Austria, Hungary and Catalonia.But his result at Italy's iconic Misano circuit was a boost."For me, it's about building on this result, even though our true potential wasn't reflected in the race due to circumstances out of our control. I know in these next races we can show it and I'm starting to feel like the rider I was before the summer break which is my main focus before the end of the season."It's not a run of form any racer wants and we came to Misano with a clear goal in mind to turn that around before we head away on the Asian tour. We achieved that."Buchanan's next outing will be in the Grand Prix of Japan at Motegi Circuit from 26-28 September.After that MotoGP races in Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia before heading back to Europe for the last two rounds in Portugal and Valencia.Published by permission

Road OpenLow Avalanche HazardRoad status:OPEN from East Gate (Hollyford) to Donne River (Westgate)Comments:The road is open and will remain open overnight and throughout Friday, however Friday night into Saturday morning is looking unsettled, so further travel disruptions and overnight closures may be possible. Please drive with care. Any queries please ring 03 249 7004.Weather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Showers gradually easing. Tomorrow: Fine at first, but showers developing later with snow possible near the tunnel.Saturday: Showers turning rain, heavy from evening. Snow possible about the tunnel at first.Sunday: Heavy rain, easing to showers.Monday: Periods of rain, possibly heavy.

Environment Southland has voted to take a stand against companies involved with illegal Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land.The regional council has agreed to adjust its procurement policy to exclude companies on a United Nations list following a June request from Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA).A follow-up report from an August committee meeting recommended the council take a “moral stance”, which became reality on Wednesday at a full meeting of council.PSNA Invercargill member Seren Palliser-O’Donohoe was pleased with the outcome.“This is a small but important moment for Southland and we're grateful for the councillors who acted today."Palliser-O’Donohoe said she believed Western governments had failed to hold Israel to account and called on the New Zealand government to implement changes based off the United Nations Security Council resolution.The decision meant the council now barred itself from dealing with a host of Israeli-owned companies included in the 2023 resolution.But it did not go so far as to prevent itself from dealing with non-Israeli suppliers on the list— some of which include Airbnb, Expedia, TripAdvisor and Booking.com.The council noted "occasional use" of those companies could be required, but aimed to minimise direct use.Environment Southland joins other councils around the country in observing the United Nations list, including Christchurch City Council, Environment Canterbury and Nelson City Council.In June, Invercargill City Council narrowly voted against adoption when Mayor Nobby Cark’s casting vote proved the difference.There are 97 companies listed on the United Nations Security Council’s resolution, known as the UNSCR 2334.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Mataura Gun Club’s Alex Smith will have about 1000 targets to contend with as he looks to take on the world’s best in Texas later this month.The 17-year-old from Menzies College is already on his way to San Antonio where he has his sights set on the World Skeet Championships, running from September 26 to October 4.Across the mini-Worlds, which precedes the main event, and the World Championships, Alex will face about 1000 American skeet targets as part of the New Zealand open team, alongside his coach and team mate Kelvin Gutsell.Along with temperatures between 30-40degC, it’s an exciting challenge for the ILT Academy Southland Foundation Year athlete.Travelling in from the family farm at Redan, near Wyndham, Alex has made the most of the nutrition, mental skills and strength and conditioning support provided by the two-year programme.“I’ve been trying to take in all the information from Academy Southland that I can and just breaking targets really,” Alex said of his build up to his second overseas assignment.“Nutrition and hydration have been key, along with getting more confident with my mental skills, since the name of the game is about mental focus and management. It’s been great having access to the gym and just having all the support I need to make it possible.”Alex won the high gun title as the best overall shooter at the Australian skeet championships in Perth in April, in what was his international debut.He has a clear idea about how to take that form into the world event.“As long as I break one target at a time and not get overstressed I’ll be happy as. You can’t worry about the end score,” he said. “Not putting too much pressure on myself over the first few days and then just getting used to the heat and not being afraid.”Alex joined the Mataura Gun Club about four years ago, linking with Gutsell a year later as he progressed from down the line intercollegiate meets into skeet.“My parents and grandparents have always been very supportive of me. It’s been the same with my coach Kelvin, he’s taught me all the tips and tricks, and then there’s the people in the shooting community.”

On behalf of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Highways South wishes to advise you that we are completing a reconstruction of a section of SH94 Te Anau-Mossburn highway at The Key to improve the condition of journeys in this area. The work involves digouts, pavement excavation, fill, resurfacing, and line marking of the highway in this location and will take place in both lanes. The initial drainage work is almost complete, with construction work to follow from next week. Due to the length of the site, the construction work is scheduled to take approximately 6-8 weeks. The team will be working from 7am – 6pm, Monday to Saturday.Photo: NZTA.Traffic management:One lane will be open with the site operating under temporary traffic lights. Due to the length of the site, at times there may be delays of up to 20 minutesTo maintain a smooth traffic flow, a pace vehicle will be in place – please follow the directions of the crew onsiteTraffic to Milford will be prioritised in the morning, and from Milford in the late afternoonsThe team will do their best to schedule breaks during school pick-up and drop-off times to keep traffic flowingAccess to farms/residents will be maintained – this will be managed by the traffic controller on siteThe temporary speed limit of 30km/hr will be in place (24/7) to protect our crew, road users, vehicles and residents. Speeding through this worksite has the potential to damage the newly prepared road surface, resulting in longer delays while this is repaired. Please observe the posted speed limits. Highways South understands this work will cause disruption and delays; we work hard to minimise the impact and take the control and management of such works very seriously. If you have any questions or need more information, I’m happy to chat - you can reach me on 027 295 2419.

Invercargill parking wardens are working in pairs following an increase in bad behaviour after infringement fees went up.The city council said there had been several abusive incidents in recent months, and pairing-up meant there was “immediate support”.In October 2024, central government hiked fines nationwide by an average of 70 percent— something the council linked last month to a rise in push back.Council manager consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw said bad behaviour normally occurred during compliance action or fine enforcement."While officers are professional and experienced in dealing with challenging situations as part of their role, the team has noticed a rising trend of negative behaviour in recent months, including several abusive incidents," Shaw said."In response to this, officers will sometimes work in pairs to ensure they have immediate support in the case of an incident."Shaw said no one wanted to receive a ticket, but compliance was for the overall benefit of the community.The government introduced sweeping changes to the country's parking fees in October 2024. Credit: Matthew Rosenberg/LDR..Officers were able to use radios and phones when out in the field, and body cameras had been in action since 2020, he said.Ticketing information provided by the council showed revenue had jumped up by 75 percent recently.More than $1.14 million was collected from 16,504 infringements between October 2024 and June 2025.This compared to more than $650,000 from 12,830 infringements for the same period a year before.Over $671,000 was collected from 13,341 infringements during the October 2022 to June 2023 period.The council did not ticket between February and June 2024 due to an issue with its bylaw.As for fines, the government changes had bumped the minimum amount from $12 to $20 for overstaying.Those who overstayed by more than six hours witnessed an increase from $57 to $97.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Road ClosedHigh Avalanche HazardRoad status:CLOSED from East Gate (Hollyford) to Donne River (Westgate) all day WednesdayRE-OPENING from East Gate (Hollyford) to Donne River (Westgate) mid-morning ThursdayComments:The road is currently closed. Reopening is likely around mid-morning tomorrow (Thursday) after inspections and snow clearing have been undertaken. It's possible the road will remain open overnight tomorrow however Friday night into Saturday morning is looking unsettled, so further travel disruptions and overnight closures may be possible. Any queries please ring 03 249 7004.Weather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Heavy and thundery rain. Tomorrow: Showers gradually easing, then clearing by evening. Snow possible above about 800 metres.Friday: Fine at first, but showers developing later with snow possible near the tunnel.Saturday: Periods of rain, possibly heavy. Snow possible about the tunnel at first.Sunday: Periods of rain, possibly heavy.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) is planning to ramp up its predator control in South Island beech forests - including the use of the controversial 1080 poison - ahead of potentially the biggest masting (seeding) in the last 7-years.Beech forests naturally mast or seed every two to six years, providing a short-term windfall of free food - and a population spike - to introduced rats and stoats.However when optimal climatic conditions trigger a beech 'mega mast', predator numbers can explode, putting additional pressure on Aotearoa's native birds and other fauna once the beech seed has been consumed.DOC’s National Predator Control Programme Manager, Peter Morton, said the mega mast seeding would most likely be in western areas from Kahurangi at the top of the South Island to Fiordland.“We are planning a bigger predator control programme than usual over the next two years to protect our most vulnerable native species like mohua, rock wren and pekapeka from beech-seed fuelled plagues of rats and stoats.“Operations will be focused on the best surviving populations of endangered wildlife in Kahurangi, Mt Aspiring, Arthur’s Pass and Fiordland national parks.Mohua/Yellowhead. Photo: DOC“We know if we do nothing, native species will be decimated.""Some of our last surviving mohua populations are hanging on by a thread and there’s a risk with a surge in predators we could lose them,” Morton said.Morton said DOC's monitoring had shown that carefully timed aerial 1080 operations prevented large spikes in predator numbers, enabling birds and bats to survive and breed successfully.“Controlling predators is one of the most important actions we can take to protect nature.""People can do their bit of ‘naturing’ by setting traps in their backyards, joining a local trapping group or donating, as we work towards New Zealand’s Predator Free 2050 goal,” Morton said.Beech mast response operations will be focussed in two rounds – later this year before seed falls in autumn and from late 2026, once seed has been eaten or germinated.Rock Wren. Photo: Digby Shaw/DOCThis avoids times when beech seed carpets the forest floor and rodents are less likely to eat toxic bait.Monitoring through a smaller beech mast in 2023 showed this timing led to the most effective control of predators and best outcomes for native wildlife.Planning is underway for 15 predator control operations over 650,000 ha at priority South Island sites from spring to early summer in 2025.This is in addition to DOC’s regular programme over another 150,000 ha. DOC is consulting with iwi and hapū, stakeholders and local communities about all proposed operations.The predator control programme for the second part of the beech mast response in 2026 and early 2027 will be determined by rat and stoat monitoring results from the sites DOC is protecting.If rodent numbers do not reach anticipated damaging levels in some areas, the programme will be scaled back.DOC has received $6.5 million from the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy for its expanded programme to tackle invasive predators, Morton said.DOC uses climate modelling to predict beech masts a year in advance, and satellite imagery to monitor beech forest flowering across New Zealand.Profuse red flowering of beech trees this summer will be the first sign that the beech mast has started, he said.

Southlanders are among those benefitting from the Government’s new 24/7 digital health service.Since it was launched in July, more than 21,000 consultations have already been delivered across the country, with almost 20 percent of them in the South Island.This new digital health service gives local people faster access to care when they can’t see their usual GP, with online consultations with registered healthcare professionals available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Most people have used the service when a timely GP appointment hasn’t been available (72 percent), while another 12 percent of bookings were because a telehealth appointment was more convenient.One Southlander, who lives in a rural area and was ill with influenza, told me that she found it very helpful to be able to talk to a doctor, without having to leave home or drive several kilometres.Another young man said he didn’t want to take time off work to see a GP, and he was pleased to be able to use the telehealth service during his lunch hour.This shows that the service is making a real difference in the South, for those who might otherwise face long waits, or travel long distances to see a doctor.It’s convenient and its effective – and it’s also hopefully freeing up GP space for those who really need it.Working-age adults and parents are the biggest users, according to Health New Zealand, with strong uptake among 20 to 39 year-olds and children under 10.Our Government has committed $164.6 million over five years for new telehealth services and I believe it is money well spent because we are committed to ensuring every New Zealander can access timely, quality healthcare.Digital health solutions are a key part of this and it’s great to see them working well in the South.Funded by Parliamentary Services

Road OpenModerate Avalanche HazardRoad status:CLOSING from East Gate (Hollyford) to Donne River (Westgate) 5pmComments:The road is currently open and will close tonight at 5pm. This is a quick update to confirm that the road will be closed all day Wednesday due to warm heavy rain increasing the avalanche risk. The rest of the week is looking unsettled with snow and rain forecast, so further travel disruptions may be possible. Any queries please ring 03 249 7004.Weather forecast for the Homer Tunnel area:Today: Showers turning to rain later. Tomorrow: Heavy rain.Thursday: Showers clearing. Snow possible above about 700 metres.Friday: Fine at first, but showers developing later with snow possible near the tunnel.Saturday: Periods of rain, possibly heavy. Snow about the tunnel possible at first.

Threats to public safety have come to light in accidentally released material for Emergency Management Southland.A report prepared for a closed-door meeting last Friday has revealed the region does not have comprehensive evacuation mapping - important information should a tsunami strike.As a result, emergency management faced decisions without adequate data three times this year."This placed additional pressure on the controller and duty officer and exposed significant risk in terms of public safety, operational clarity, and community confidence," the report said.It noted the issue had been on the radar for several years, but progress had been "constrained" due to cost.A separate item relating to recruitment also appeared in the agenda and has since been confirmed as the replacement of Emergency Management Southland's top boss.2Environment Southland confirmed new group controller Aly Curd was stepping away after less than a year in the role.The council said she had resigned and would finish up at the end of October.Following Curd's arrival in December, Southland had faced at least two tsunami-related threats.On March 25, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake off the region's southwest coast prompted an emergency alert for potential danger near coastlines.An 8.8 magnitude earthquake near Russia on 30 July prompted warnings of tsunami activity around the country.The report said March and July events showed a lack of data could compromise public safety.But it also included a recommendation to exclude Fiordland from a proposed tsunami modeling package which would drop the ballpark bill from $550,000 to $440,000. A separate ministerial funding request was proposed for that section.Council general manager integrated catchment management Lucy Hicks confirmed meeting attendees did not accept leaving Fiordland out because a "whole of Murihuki Southland" approach was needed.Hicks said although national-level evacuation maps existed, the report looked at the need for comprehensive and localised versions.The Friday meeting related to Emergency Management Southland's co-ordinating executive group, which includes representatives from the region's four councils, emergency services, DOC, MSD, Te Whatu Ora, NEMA, mana whenua and St John.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Voting has opened for the highly anticipated Bird of the Year - but will it fall fowl to hijacking?Allegiances have already formed in the much-hyped and often controversial election - where people vote for their favourite native bird - with a group of 25 backing the kiwi to win the competition's 20th year.But according to Forest and Bird chief executive Nicola Toki, there is no such thing as bad publicity."There's always controversy in Bird of the Year."We had alleged Russian vote hacking a few years ago, I'm still in trouble for allowing John Oliver to apparently hijack Bird of the Year."But fundamentally the more noise about it, the better from our point of view."Takahe. Photo: Chris Watson/ProFocusIn 2023, Oliver - the host of US talk show Last Week Tonight - backed the pūteketeke Australasian crested grebe, which won in a landslide.The campaign saw ads in Paris, Mumbai, Tokyo and London, and a flying banner over Ipanema beach in Brazil. It also led to a record number of votes and donations to Forest and Bird.Toki said behind the huge amount of fun was a serious message."It's like a gateway drug to learning more about protecting our native wildlife, because it gives people access."What started with a fact about a bird, could see people discovering the species in their neighbourhood and getting involved in donating or pest trapping, she said.Toki said the competition had changed significantly over its 20 years, from a couple of hundred votes when it began, to its John Oliver peak of more 330,000.She said there were usually around 50,000 - 60,000 votes cast.She maintained the beauty of the competition was not in the number of votes, but in the way people "really leaned in" - enthusiam that she hoped would translate elsewhere."You know wouldn't it be great if New Zealanders... did the research and learnt more about voting for candidates in local and general elections the way that they do about their birds."She said they had gone "above and beyond" for the 20th anniversary, which included a book '20 Years of Ruffled Feathers', a scavenger hunt, and their take on the popular New York Times game, 'Wordle' - Birdle."Instead of a word, you're guessing a bird."I can tell you from experience it is quite addictive, and quite competitive."Voting for Bird of the Year closes on 28 September, with the winner announced the following day.CLICK HERE to vote.Published by permission

A tugboat has reached an oil and chemical tanker stuck off the coast of Stewart Island.Maritime NZ said the Golden Mind lost steering west of the island on Wednesday, and the ship and its crew had been waiting there since.In an update on Monday morning, it said the ocean-going tug MMA Vision - which set off from Wellington on Thursday - was now alongside.However it said weather conditions would determine when the two boats could connect.Weather stations on Rakiura were recording gale-force winds on Monday.Maritime NZ said the plan was to tow the tanker to Timaru."Towage arrangements are made between the commercial parties involved - in this case, Golden Mind's owners and MMA Vision."Maritime NZ said the crew was safe, and no distress calls had been made.It said its Rescue Coordination Centre would continue to keep watch, but it would not be issuing any further statements about the situation on Monday.Published by permission

Police have named of the young man who died following a crash near the intersection of State Highway 1 and Kew Road on Thursday 11 September.He was Caleb Wilson Moss, 19, of Invercargill.Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.

Todd & Co Realty, Southland’s longest-standing locally owned real estate firm, is celebrating 160 years of continuous service to the region this month (Sept).Founded in 1865 when William Todd, great-grandfather of the current William (Bill) Todd, was first issued his auctioneer’s licence, the company has been a cornerstone of Southland’s property landscape for generations.In 2011 the real estate business was sold to Mike and Helen McCurdy.Photo: SuppliedTodd & Co Realty general manager Charlotte Murch, who is also the McCurdy's daughter, said the company was proud to continue to be a family business.The team now covers not only Invercargill, but also communities right across the province, including Te Anau, Winton and Stewart Island, she said.Murch said the company had been proud to stand alongside Southlanders through decades of change, growth, and opportunity.Kathryn Hishon, the company’s Fiordland-based salesperson, said it was a privilege to be part of a brand with 160 years of history in Southland.“Living and working in Te Anau, I see every day how special this region is.""This milestone isn’t just about looking back — it’s about carrying that legacy forward and continuing to serve our communities with the same dedication and pride.”Todd & Co Realty as it is today. Photo: SuppliedTo mark 160-years of business, Todd & Co Realty is running a Supreme Southland Giveaway, which includes some of the region’s finest goodies.Prizes include a night’s accommodation in Te Anau, Stag Family pass and a selection of some of Southland's finest produce including Stewart Island salmon, Seriously Good chocolate and Southland honey, lamb, sausages and pies.CLICK HERE to enter.Entries close at 9:00am on Friday, September 26, with winners announced later that day.Photo: Supplied