Children and dogs are being warned to avoid the Waihopai River, north of Queen's Drive, after toxic algae was found by Environment Southland (ES).The location is within the Invercargill city boundary and has a popular walking and cycling track nearby.In 2023 Peyton, a family's pet dog, died of suspected toxic algae poisoning after playing in the Upukeroroa River near Te Anau. Photo: SuppliedA toxic algae alert in place for Waihopai River at Kennington has now been removed, while the alert for the Waiau River near the Excelsior Creek inflow remains.Algae regularly occurs during periods of fine weather and stable river flows. While most algae is harmless, some species can produce toxins and rapidly bloom to high levels.Toxic algae can pose significant health risks to people and animals if swallowed or through contact with the skin.ES regularly monitors the province's waterways but admits they can't monitor everywhere.ES advise you see a doctor immediately if you experience health symptoms after contact with contaminated water and take your animals to a vet immediately if they have consumed toxic algae or contaminated water.CLICK HERE for more information or call ES on 0800 768 845.

Southland's Debs Shirley has hung up her squash racquet one final time and admits she feels very lucky to have fallen in love with her chosen sport, twice.Debs made her announcement “with a heavy heart” at the Squash Southland awards, calling time on a career notable for a long list of highlights including winning the Southland Female Player of the Year five times and winning the national B grade teams event as part of a combined Invercargill club team in 1999.She has also been a Southland C grade (once) and B grade (13 times) champion, Squash City women’s club champion six times, Southland 45-54 age group champion nine times, a two-time Southland Open champion and six-time Southland Masters Women’s champion.One of her proudest achievements was to make it to A grade level, albeit for two weeks.“I’ve been extremely lucky to have been able to do what I’ve done.”Debs grew up at the Blues squash courts which her parents helped to establish on Conon St, making an early impression with a couple of South Island under 13 girls titles.Ironically, it was the amalgamation of the Blues, Old Boys and Invercargill clubs which prompted her first retirement, coinciding with a career highlight as a combined Invercargill club team won that national B grade teams event.“At the time those clubs had just amalgamated and I’d decided to hang up my racquet because my heart was with my old Blues club. We had been trying for that title for so many years and I felt like I’d achieved all I wanted to in squash, but apparently that wasn’t the case because I came back again.”Thirteen years later, Debs found herself venturing through the doors at Squash City in what would become the second act of her squash career.“I went down to watch my niece and the atmosphere was so cool with this new club and I had gotten over my wee tantrum about the clubs amalgamating.”It wasn’t all straight forward. In her first or second game back playing against Pauline Fairweather, Debs snapped her left Achilles tendon and was out for the best part of a year.When she returned, she won the club championships and she hasn’t looked back. Inspired by the longevity of Jan McAra, Debs has worked hard to maintain her game and has loved being part of Masters events for the past decade, ever since going away with a Shaun Madden-coached Southland team for the first time.“It’s the people, the atmosphere. It’s like a family with people who have the same passion as you,” she says.“I’m going to miss that dearly.”Being such a competitive spirit, Debs says she needs a clean break from the sport and is looking forward to doing some more caravan trips.“It’s going to be tough. I know if I go down to the courts I’m going to want to get back out there. Like I said in my speech, it’s with a heavy heart because I’d love to keep doing what I do, but I can’t. I don’t want to go backwards. The mind still wants to do what the body can’t.”Debs will retain at least one link with the sport, however, after donating a trophy titled the Debs Shirley Masters Squash Personality of the Year, to be presented annually at the Squash Southland awards.The inaugural winner of the award was Andrea Dudley, a teammate in the Southland Masters team.While a new Squash NZ grading system was taking some time to adjust to and there was a lack of numbers in women's squash locally, most Southland clubs were in good heart and squash remained a great sport to get involved in, Debs said.“I’d encourage anyone to get involved. It’s such an awesome game and you just get addicted to it. Anyone can do it and it’s a lot of fun.”

Mainland yellow-eyed penguin could become extinct within two decades, says the Department of Conservation (DOC), with the number of known nests dropping by 80 percent over the past decade and a half.The hoiho - or yellow-eyed penguin - is one of the rarest penguins in the world, with only 143 known nests on mainland New Zealand including on Stewart Island.DOC says that without a serious turnaround, the 2024 Bird of the Year winner could become extinct within 20 years.The 2024/25 nest counts across Otago, Southland and Stewart Island show a decline of 80 percent since 2008/09.DOC said there were less than 100 chicks on Stewart Island and mainland New Zealand, and there was no guarantee of their long-term survival.Hoiho have a low reproductive rate and low juvenile survival. It is expected less than 20 percent of these chicks will survive to adulthood, DOC added.DOC said the declining numbers were a result of multiple threats including disease, introduced predators, human disturbance, a significant shift in adult diet, fisheries bycatch, and marine predation.Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu hoiho recovery representative Puawai Swindells-Wallace had visited nesting sites from Waitaha (Canterbury) down to Rakiura (Stewart Island) and seen first-hand the hard mahi conservation rangers and volunteers were doing to try to save this species from extinction."We have some really good people on the ground, but with such a large range to cover, it is extremely challenging," Swindells-Wallace said."Hoiho are a taonga species for Ngāi Tahu and it is unthinkable that we could lose them - we don't really know what impact that could have on the whole ecosystem."We need to collectively increase our capacity to support the hoiho to regain their rightful place on our beaches and in our moana."They were coined 'the people's penguin' and won the Bird of The Year competition in 2019 and 2024, but recent mainland hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin nest counts have experts worried.The Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (YEPT) recently appointed Anna Campbell to lead the organisation, with a focus on innovation to accelerate restoration of coastal ecosystems."Nest and chick numbers are critically low on mainland New Zealand," Campbell said."Now is the time to come together, be bold and brave - collaborating can enhance our potential to protect the hoiho."We are committed to a future where hoiho thrive in the natural environment."Published by permission

A Queenstown air ambulance helicopter at Taieri Airfield was burgled at the weekend (11-12 Jan), with critical medical equipment including drugs taken.Helicopters Otago CEO Graheme Gale said the theft of the bag was from the rescue helicopter had just taken a critically ill patient to Dunedin Hospital.“The helicopter and crew were forced to hold over at the base in North Taieri due to bad weather."The stolen bag contained critical medical equipment and supplies.“If the helicopter and crew had responded to an incident unaware that the bag had been taken, there could have been fatal consequences,” Gale said.Police Acting Area Investigations Manager Detective Sergeant Hayden Smale said this particular theft is concerning on many levels.“Beyond putting the lives of air ambulance patients at risk by taking these essential medical supplies, some of the drugs stolen pose a significant risk to anyone who may choose to take them recreationally."“The wrong combination or dosage could potentially be fatal, and we urge extreme caution for anyone who may come into contact with these stolen medical supplies."“We continue to investigate this matter and will be working hard to identify any available lines of enquiry,” Smale said.Police would like to hear from anyone who might have information about the burglary, or those involved.If you have information to share please get in touch via our 105 service, quoting reference number 250112/9460.You can also share information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

If there’s a job needing done in Bluff then ‘Flutes’ is your man.Third generation Bluff royalty as the grandson of the renowned Fred and Myrtle Flutey, famous the nation over for their iconic Bluff ‘Paua House’, Flutes pours out practical kindness wherever he goes.From organising mass pallet drop-offs to his workplace at Southfish, cutting them up for firewood or recycling them, also repurposing reject fish blocks for crayfishermen, all to fund the Awarua Boating Club, Flutes has had it sussed.He’s your ultimate DIY innovator, turning a rubber bobbin off a fishing boat and an old fishing net into a netball hoop for the local kids.Flutes has been one of Southland’s best rowers in his day, sporting a haul of World Masters and Australian Masters golds between 2004 and 2014.He took out New Zealand titles as a youngster cleaning up the lightweight doubles at the national champs with fellow Bluff rower Rex Ryan.Kevin (rear) and his faithful rowing buddy, Rex Ryan, pumping out the wins as Southland champions about 20 years ago. Photo: SuppliedHe also rowed for the NZ Lightweight Colts from 1979, based in Christchurch for two seasons. Eileen Keys and her husband billeted him.“She was like my second Mum.”The other rowers at Karapiro meets called him ‘Penguin’ because he rowed in Bluff.Flutes may have gone on to even greater things, but oystering is in the Flutey blood so when good mate Willie Calder came to Christchurch and said, ‘Come home and come oystering for me’, Flutes says he couldn’t resist.“I just love it, and you can’t take the Bluff out of the boy,” he grins.‘The Bluff’ represented a wonderfully, happy childhood roaming the outdoors, the eldest of four kids, racing homemade trollies down steep Bluff streets, making flax darts for street competitions, bows and arrows from lupins and toi toi weapons with nails in the tip. No OSH concerns in the 1960s.Kevin (left) and the kids with Grandad Fred and his dad Ian. Photo: Supplied“Mum would call us for tea and we’d be straight back outside again, kicking rugby balls over the power lines to the neighbours’ disgust,” he chuckles.“We even built an underground wartime tunnel from the henhouse to Dad’s workshop with old timber and a tin roof which we camouflaged with grass clumps and Mum and Dad couldn’t find us.”Flutes has had a few close calls, like the time his hand slipped off an oyster boat rail, eight-year-old Kevin plummeting into the ocean off the wharf, gumboots and all.“Thankfully, my cousin heard the splash, and Keith Templeton threw a rope to me, which luckily hit me on the hand.”At three he got into his dad’s shed and drank fresh paint, rushed to hospital to have his stomach pumped.“They thought they’d lost me.”Kevin, 28, shows how it’s done in the children’s playground in Queens Park, Invercargill. Photo: SuppliedMuch tastier was Nana Myrtle’s baking, her Drop Sponge a winner.Flutes was bound to become adventurous.Grandad Fred would get dropped off by the Wairua Stewart Island ferry at Chalky Inlet on its way to service the Puysegur Lighthouse.He’d live in a cave for two weeks while collecting washed up paua shells.“That was his holiday. He’d walk along the shore up towards The Five Fingers leaving the big bags of shells then collecting them in his 16-foot (4.8m) dinghy,” Flutes says.“One day he got stuck due to weather so he pushed that huge dinghy through the bush into Preservation Inlet where he could meet the Wairua.”Famous Grandad Fred Flutey polishing his beloved paua shells. Photo: SuppliedDad Ian also rowed in the 1950s and once a very slight Flutes had got a taste as coxswain, aged nine, he helped take the local team to stardom for seven years until he was old enough to take a seat.“We had some ding dong battles rowing against Invercargill’s Eade brothers and the Riverton club,” he recalls. The Awarua Club was humming then with 72 rowers and seven coxswains.A 21-year-old Flutes was right there amongst it helping fundraise and build the new club building in 1981.Photo: SuppliedHe was also a volunteer as camera boat driver for the World Rowing Championships in 2010 at Karapiro and served on the Southland Rowing Association executive for eight years, representing the province nationally.A man who likes to get the job done, not even Flutes could turn down the offer to row his first Masters in Hamburg, Germany, in 2004.“I’d just pulled our kitchen sink out to start a $20,000 renovation for my wife when Rex Ryan knocked on the door.”Another rower had fallen ill, and Flutes was needed to compete, his boss at Southport urgently helping raise the airfares.Fortunately, wife Debbie was a good sport about it encouraging him to go.“I’m halfway through that kitchen now,” he grins.Kevin (centre) in action in the Intermediate 8 in 1994. Photo: SuppliedHe’d be finished but Flutes is too busy volunteering his time to help others, something Debbie and his family have been fully supportive of.“It’s just who I am,” he says.With rowing numbers dwindling in Bluff, for the last eight years Flutes has coached young Invercargill high school rowers.“It was supposed to be for two days a week but that’s turned into seven,” he grins.The competition’s still in him though. “I tore my hamstring in four places trying to beat the school rowing girls at our May Ten Pin Bowling break-up.”Flutes has been at the helm of his dad’s 72-foot steel oyster boat from a young age, even helping out back then.Four generations of Fluteys, from left, Grandad Fred holding Kevin’s son Matthew, Dad Ian and Kevin (‘Flutes’). Photo: Supplied“Dad had lots of farming mates who’d come down and go out on the boat on a Sunday, sometimes getting a bit worse for wear so I’d steer the boat into the harbour,” he grins.A trained electrician, Flutes had been nagging to leave Kingswell High School and man his dad’s oyster boat.“He wouldn’t let me until I got a trade.”He trained as an electrician completing a six-year apprenticeship, working as an electrician while rowing in Christchurch.After 10 years oystering, forced redundancies in the industry saw him reluctantly working at a fish factory and driving trucks.Not even serious motion sickness held him back from those boats though.Flutes and Debbie with the grandkids. Photo: SuppliedTwenty years with Southport followed and for the past six years Flutes has been making salt ice at Southfish and delivering it to the fishing boats.The pallet drop-off he turned into firewood during Covid times was just typical of the heart of the man who delivered it to the elderly and those in need.“One guy nearly ripped the bag out of my hand he was that cold,” he says. But the work of a volunteer man never ends, it seems.“I always help out when someone asks me.”However, Flutes reckons it’s his wife and family, including three sons, who should be honoured for their years of understanding.“I’m an electrician and the lights on that new kitchen were hanging off the ceiling for quite some time,” he grins.There’s always time for the grandchildren though, who recently called on ‘Gong Gong’, as they call him, to collect the floats for the preschool Santa parade.A kind man’s work is never done.

In 2024, Group ILT approved more than $400,000 in funding towards supporting Southland's talent across various fields, from international competitions to tertiary education. 26 scholarships were awarded to help 40 Southlanders selected to represent New Zealand on the world stage.These grants totalled more than $50,000 and supported travel to Denmark, Vietnam, Korea, France, Dubai, Peru, USA, and China, to name a few.ILT President, Paddy O'Brien commented, "The wide range of fields represented by the recipients, from cycling to choir, highlights the exceptional talent we have here in Southland. We're proud that our funding supports these individuals to compete on the international stage.” Most recently, the board approved travel support for nine members of the Murihiku Scout Zone to represent Scouts NZ at an event in Queensland, Australia.The young attendees will develop their leadership skills and international connections that they can bring back to Invercargill. Towards the end of 2024, ILT awarded tertiary scholarships to 65 young people embarking on their academic journeys.Each recipient will receive $2,000 per year for the next three years, with around $390,000 allocated annually towards this initiative. Since its inception in 2007, the Tertiary Scholarship programme has supported over 900 students, with a total investment exceeding $5 million. "We're grateful for the opportunity to support our community members as they pursue higher education. It's inspiring to see the calibre of students coming through and their aspirations for the future," he said. In an interesting coincidence, Renee Stevenson, who received support from ILT to compete in Australia at the ICN World Natural Games where she won her category. Her daughter Ebony was also awarded an ILT tertiary scholarship. "International competition has ramped up since borders reopened, and we're seeing increased demand for support across our scholarship programmes," O'Brien added."As we look to the future, ILT remains committed to nurturing local talent and providing opportunities for Southlanders to shine on both national and international stages."

Homelessness is increasing in Te Anau without any long-term support for those affected, a Fiordland conceptual plan has revealed.Meanwhile, efforts to target the issue with a new approach have come up empty-handed, a community board chair says.The Te Anau Basin Development Plan was released last month with a goal of helping the Fiordland Community Board make future decisions.It covered a range of topics, including the local economy, population trends and housing.Regarding the latter, issues were highlighted around a lack of affordable housing in Te Anau as well as an increasing need for elderly accommodation.Homelessness was on the rise, for which there was no long-term support in the area, it said.Although there was a steady stream of houses being built, that number was not an accurate representation of availability, because of the amount which were holiday homes or short-term rentals.This increased the need for social housing, which was also exacerbated by the cost of land and building.Fiordland Community Board chair Diane Holmes said accommodation issues had been on the town’s radar for decades, adding that it was a nationwide problem.Feedback from social workers indicated some families were doing it tough without appropriate housing, but central government had pared back support, she said.“We’ve reached out to a lot of other agencies and tried multi-agency approaches and might as well just be banging our head against a brick wall.”Holmes was optimistic about the report as a whole, saying it highlighted Te Anau was well placed for both residential and commercial building moving forward.The Luxmore subdivision — undertaken in 2022 — allowed for more intensive building with up to three dwellings on a single section, she said.The report showed that an essential industry in the area, tourism, was also contributing to the housing challenge.Short-term rentals were important for visitor accommodation which supported the sector, but also had implications for long-term housing.Community engagement was a key factor in formulating the development plan, with the end product noting people had discussed a wide range of topics.That included increased density, vulnerability to natural disasters and the location of the school in the town centre.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

Southland's regional council is investigating reports of an algal bloom in Doubtful Sound and whether it's connected to local fish deaths.The algal bloom was reported in Crooked Arm and commercial operators in Doubtful Sound reported an unusual number of jack mackerel deaths in the area.Samples are being analysed to check whether the jack mackerel deaths are connected to the algal bloom.Environment Southland aquatic ecosystems team leader Ash Rabel said algal bloom was not uncommon, but it was concerning as they could damage ecosystems and be harmful if touched or consumed."We're urging water enthusiasts visiting Doubtful Sound to be vigilant about contact with the algal bloom, and to keep their equipment clean to avoid any spread of harmful species," he said.Shellfish should be avoided until it is clear what is causing the bloom and any fish collected should be thoroughly cleaned and cooked before eating.An update on the algae species and cause of the fish deaths was expected later next week.Published with permission

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The Southland District Council has publicly shamed the "brainless numpty" who vandalised Riverton's new $620,000 public toilets overnight.After discovering wet toilet paper flung throughout the facility council staff posted a sassy message on social media today to those responsible for the "disgusting mess"."I hope next time you are in desperate need of a public toilet there isn't a scrap of toilet paper to wipe your butt," the post read.It was not the first time the toilet had been targeted."Look at the disgusting mess which greeted the cleaner at the Taramea Bay toilets in Riverton-Aparima this morning. The second time is as many weeks!" the post went on.Vandals leave wet toilet paper stuck to the walls of Riverton's new $620,000 public toilets. Photo: Supplied / Southland District Council"To see the community's newest facilities treated like this by some brainless numpty (or numpties if plural is appropriate) is incredibly disappointing. Next time, show some damn respect."Southland District Council's public toilets in Lumsden had also been the target of regular vandalism.A council spokesperson said they were not aware of any other facilities being targeted on this occasion.The spokesperson said they were also unaware if the matter was reported to police but it was often difficult to identify and catch vandals as they carried out their acts under the cover of darkness.Published by permission

A plan to change the fortunes of the embattled Fiordland airport is one step closer.Since its inception, Te Anau Airport Manapouri has run at a loss with shortfalls ranging from $217,000 to almost $320,000 across the last five years alone.But owner Southland District Council views the facility as a “strategic asset” and hopes to set it on the right path.Following the 2022 local government election, the newly elected Fiordland Community Board requested the council undertake a review of the airport, resulting in a working group forming the following year.A report released by Great South last month recommended a business case be developed for the future of the airport — a move which has been welcomed by Fiordland Community Board chair Diane Holmes.“It (the airport) is like a project and a vision that was started, but it was never given the focus it deserved in order to prioritise things and make it successful,” Holmes said.“It’s never had a strategic plan.”Holmes said there was a lot of progress being made in the background, with expressions of interest in tenancies for hanger spaces and a new cafe.“We’ve got everything in a position where, excuse the pun, it’s ready to takeoff.”At a meeting on December 16, the community board decided it would take funds from the Luxmore subdivision reserve to action a business case for the airport, which would need final approval from the council.Up to $324,180 plus GST could be required for the business case, with hopes of completion within 18 months.Despite the ongoing challenges facing the operation, consultation last year for the council’s long-term plan revealed the community still saw the airport as valuable.The Great South report said the airport was a well-kept asset with a modern terminal and excellent runway.It also noted that few airports around the world were economically viable based on aviation alone.Some of the initial ideas for improving outcomes included optimising income from existing rental parcels, renting new parcels, and creating new homes in airport hangars.The airport was constructed in the 1960’s by Mount Cook Air and purchased by the council in 2002 for $401,000.LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air

For most people one Great Walk is achievement enough, but runner Romain Groleau had bigger plans.Starting his journey on 28 December, Groleau ran all 10 Great Walks, crossing the finish line at 2am on Sunday.The 44-year-old covered the distance of over twelve marathons, raising money for the New Zealand Nature Fund.Originally from France but now living in Auckland with his wife and three children, Groleau told RNZ's Summer Times his body was holding up pretty well after his Herculean effort."I'm still a bit tired and recovering from the big effort and going back into the real world. I was a little bit disconnected for these nine days I was on the trail, so reconnecting and recovering."He completed the Rakiura, Hump Ridge, Milford, Routeburn, Kepler, Paparoa, Heaphy, Abel Tasman, Tongariro and Lake Waikaremoana in eight days and 16 hours.The weather was kind to him, he says."I had a little bit of rain on Milford and on Kepler, but we had a great weather window, and when we did Tongariro it was between rain and snow the period of time that we were running."Romain Groleau ticks off his fourth Great Walk Photo: Romain GroleauLack of sleep, he says, was the main challenge."You run the trail and then you travel to the next one, and you need to keep on schedule, I probably slept less than five hours a night."So that was tough. And then the logistics, getting from one trail to the next, some of them require quite a bit of travel because they're not close to each other."Groleau, who is vegan, had to ensure he had plenty of fuel onboard to keep going."Lots of sugar that would be coming from honey, from jam… but what I realised as well is, after five days, the body and the stomach wasn't really keen to take on more just sugar and sweet things."So, I moved on to prepared sandwiches, I'd stop at a bakery and buy specific sandwich that were vegetarian."Prior to the challenge, he got plenty of kilometres in the legs."I run every day, for the past five years, I haven't missed a single day of running. So that gets the mind and the brain as well in the mindset of not stopping and continuing and running all the time."And I would run about 4000kms a year in general. So that's a lot of volume, and I do a lot of races, like ultra-marathon races, which also helped me to prepare for this. This year I did four ultra-marathon races, and with training of about 80km a week."Romain Groleau's marathon effort will raise money for the New Zealand Nature Fund. Photo: Romain GroleauDespite the physical stamina needed to complete the 10 walks, he had moments when he was able to marvel at the scenery, he says."Tongariro, the last one I did, was very special. I did it with a friend and we had this magic weather window, where the weather was super clear. We had this very starry sky, and just stopping in the middle of the night, it was close to zero degree at the time, and just looking at this sky and seeing the millions of stars, it was a bit like time stopped for a second."Published by permission

PowerNet Chief Executive Jason Franklin has announced his resignation and will depart his current position on 2 April 2025 to become Chief Executive of Wellington based Powerco.PowerNet manages most of the south's electricity assets, with depots in Invercargill, Lumsden, Gore, Balclutha, Te Anau, Frankton and Stewart Island.It is New Zealand’s fourth largest electricity management company, while Powerco is the country's second-largest electricity and gas distributor.Notable achievements under his tenure with PowerNet have included improved health and safety, the full acquisition of OtagoNet, establishing and growing the electricity generation business Southern Generation, driving network growth - particularly in the Queenstown Lakes area - and the sale of PowerNet, OtagoNet, and Lakeland by Electricity Invercargill Limited to The Power Company Limited.Franklin is also a board member of Electricity Networks Aotearoa and SmartCo Limited, and a director of SBS Bank Limited and Great South.He has previously held directorships with both Invercargill Airport and Rugby Southland.

ROAD CLOSURE SH1 EAST ROAD TODAY SH1 East Road will be closed between Mill Road North and Ascot roundabout today between 7am and 6pm while the team complete resurfacing. Detour for all vehicles is via Mill Road North, Findlay Road, Racecourse Road.SH94 resurfacingFrom the 13th – 17th January - (weather permitting) the team will be completing resurfacing on SH94 Waimea Highway between Riversdale and Mandeville. Please note that there will be a northbound detour for light vehicles, and northbound heavy vehicles will be stacked and piloted through the site at regular intervals. Southbound light and heavy vehicles are unaffected. (Contingency dates are 20th – 24th January).Highways South work with temporary traffic lights or stop/go and temporary speed limits this week:SH1 Clyde St near Nith St for watercuttingSH1 Bluff highway near Avon Road for watercuttingSH1 Bluff highway near Motu Rimu Road for watercuttingSH1 Bluff highway near Elles Road roundabout for watercuttingSH1 Bluff highway near Greenpoint for watercuttingSH1 Bluff highway near Awarua for watercuttingSH1 East Road Invercargill, road closure for surfacing (as above)SH1 Edendale-Woodlands highway at Dacre-Morton Mains Road for resurfacingSH6 Great North Road Winton near Dejoux Road for watercuttingSH6 Winton-Lorneville highway near Wilson's Crossing Road for watercuttingSH6 Winton-Lorneville highway near Wilson's Crossing Road for digoutsSH6 Winton-Lorneville highway near Breeze Road for watercuttingSH6 Winton-Lorneville highway near Pomona Road for watercuttingSH6 Winton-Lorneville highway near Wilson's Crossing Road for pavement repairSH6 Lumsden, stop/go for resurfacingSH6 near the Jollies hill for pavement renewalSH93 Old Coach Road at Waikana Road for resurfacingSH94 Waimea highway between Otamita and Croydon Bush for resurfacingSH94 Waimea highway between Riversdale and Mandeville for pavement repairsSH94 Waimea highway between Otamita and Croydon Bush for resurfacingSH94 Waimea highway between Hatfield and Otamita Roads for resurfacingSH94 Te Anau-Mossburn highway between The Key and Hillside-Manapouri Road for pavement repairsSH98 Lorne-Dacre Road west of Mill Road North for pavement repairs Third party work and events with traffic management in place this week:SH1 Edendale-Woodlands highway at the Dacre Morton Mains intersection, stop/go for resurfacingSH94 Waimea highway, stop/go for culvert replacementSH94 Mossburn, stop/stop for tree fellingSH95 Manapouri-Te Anau highway at Manapouri, stop/go for trenchingSH99 Wallacetown Lorneville highway, stop/go for crane operations Upcoming work/eventsFrom January 12th – Mid-March; Night-time (6pm – 6am) road closures of SH1 Tay St and SH6 Dee St for inner city Invercargill asphalt renewalJanuary 13th – SH94 between Riversdale and Mandeville, resurfacing – northbound detour for light vehicles, northbound heavy vehicles will be stacked and piloted through the site at regular intervals.February – SH96 Glencoe, pavement renewalFebruary – SH1 Bluff highway, pavement renewalUseful 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.

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A three-year-old child has died after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway at a residential address in Gore around 6:30pm on 1 January.The child died in Gore Hospital a short time later.Police said investigators were not treating the death as suspicious at this time.This had followed considerable work, including with the ESR at the scene.The investigations team will continue to make inquiries on behalf of the Coroner, Police said.

What you put in your yellow kerbside recycling bin should be simple right? Glass, plastic and paper? Well yes and no.It all depends on the type of waste product and the ability of recycle plants to handle and sell it.Southland's three territorial councils each provide their ratepayers with a yellow recycle bin and red general waste bin. These are collected on alternate weekdays.Recycling is delivered to Recycle South's Invercargill plant, while general waste is destined for AB Lime's landfill near Winton.Glass bottles and jars are all good to recycle, but cookware, pyrex, window mirror and drinking glass are not so must be put in your red general waste bin.Likewise aluminium foil and trays, aerosols, lids, tops, caps, pumps and trigger sprays are not recyclable so also destined for land fill via your red bin.Sorting plastics is a little trickier, with households needing to first identify what type of plastic it is before disposing.If your plastic waste has a 1,2 or 5 within its triangle icon, then it's good to recycle, however plastics with a 3,4,6 or 7 will all need to go into your red bin.Batteries are recyclable but, because they can cause fires and other health and safety issues, cannot be disposed of through the red or yellow bin system.All batteries must be either dropped off at Pheonix Metalman's drop off point at 297 Bond Street, Invercargill, or at any of the four Southland-based Mitre 10 stores.Tetra Pak (Liquid Paperboard Packaging) containers are also not currently recyclable through the yellow bin system, however they can be dropped for recycling to The Batch Cafe, 173 Spey Street, Invercargill. Tetra Pak's should be cut and flattened before being rinsed and dried. Plastic lids and straws can remain with them for recycling.Washing but not squashing your recycling is encouraged, as well as removing any lids and tops, and flattening those boxes.Avoid overfilling your bin or making it too heavy - to ensure a seamless collection.Also check your collection day by CLICKING HERESUMMARY OF RECYCLABLE ITEMSYESPlastic containers numbers 1, 2 & 5Glass bottles and jarsSteel, aluminium, and tin cansAdvertising mail and envelopesNewspapers and magazinesPaper and cardboard packagingNONo dead animals, no green waste, no building waste. Remember recycling is hand sorted!Plastic bags (full or empty)Food scrapsClothing, shoes and beddingHazardous waste, chemicals and empty aerosol cansAll types of batteriesNappiesPolystyreneCookware, pyrex, window mirror and drinking glassElectronic and electrical itemsMedical wasteGarden wasteGas bottles and pressurised canistersSource: Wastenet.org.nz

Increasing numbers of younger cancer patients in Southland are seeking help from the Cancer Society, with bowel and breast cancer numbers up, melanoma “huge”, and staff also seeing more rare cancers like sarcomas in young people.Southern Cancer Society quality and improvement partner in Southland Helen Stephens says they’re definitely supporting increasing numbers of younger people.“We’ve been supporting a 28-year-old with breast cancer which we’d not normally see and quite a lot of women in their 20s,” she says.“People we see are usually older.” Bowel cancer is becoming more prevalent in younger people in their 20s in the south too, Southland renowned for having the highest rates of that in NZ, even when compared with the rest of the world, she says.There are increasing financial pressures associated for younger patients and families with many Southland patients needing to travel to Dunedin or Christchurch for treatment.“That means time off work and someone to care for the children too,” she says.“We’ve definitely seen a lot more young people needing financial help, especially if they’re working and have young children,” Stephens says.Working young New Zealanders struggling with the financial burden of cancer is huge, with the logistics of managing a young family, and Southland is no exception.“Finance is a big burden given the current landscape and we’re seeing it more and more, people trying to manage family life.”The growth in younger cancer cases is unfortunately a national and international trend and the society’s southern head of cancer services Craig Watson says they’re definitely experiencing increased demand with so many under 50s being diagnosed now.It’s caused a rethink as to how the society offers its support – a new online portal launched recently specifically created for younger patients needing support.“Sadly, the growth in under 50s with cancer is greater than the over 50s now,” Watson says. The society is seeing a lot more younger families from around the South Island presenting at the new Christchurch Canterbury Cancer Centre which is now catering for increasing numbers of children coming to stay while younger parents have treatment.“We had eight children staying with their families, some from the south, during the last school holidays,” he says.“While we welcome children it’s very sad that their much younger parents are being treated for cancer.”Stephens says with more younger people being diagnosed they don’t tend to ring on the phone the same so they’re hoping the online portal will get some good uptake.“We’re definitely here and available for people with resources, advice, help with accommodation and travel,” she says.Launched in late November the online tool has been created in response to demand from patients asking for greater choice as to how and what time they can access support.“People can now book directly online for a cancer navigator and choose who they’d like to see with all the profiles online, information and videos,” Stephens says.“It’s been a long time coming but we now have a one stop shop which makes our services much more accessible to younger people and offers them more choice.”The society has set up support groups too in Invercargill, Te Anau and Gore.“People, especially younger people, can feel isolated and it’s very good to have that peer support, especially for those under 30 and 40 years,” she says.“We’re seeing quite a lot more patients in their 20s.”Stephens says they need more awareness about what help is out there and the online portal will be a great help to younger patients.Society staff are there to help patients of any age navigate the health system.CLICK HERE for more information.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested after attempting to break into a rural home in Motu Rimu on New Years Day (1 Jan).Police including a Police Dog Unit responded at about 11:50am, after the Motu Rimu Road homeowner reported seeing on their security cameras, an unknown man with tools trying to break-in.The man fled the scene before Police arrived but was subsequently tracked to bushland north of the property where he was arrested.The man appeared in the Invercargill District Court on a charge of Burglary yesterday.Invercargill Police Sergeant Christopher Rigby said CCTV footage had proved invaluable in this case, alerting the homeowner to the man entering their property and allowing them to see the footage in real time.Police recommend CCTV for any homeowner Rigby said, but especially for those living rurally.Not only can it alert you as it is happening, but it is also a crucial tool in identifying offenders and it can provide critical evidence, Rigby said.