Three men on a lunchtime surf off the coast of Dunedin saved a group of schoolgirls being swept away in a rip.

A man is in intensive care at Dunedin Hospital after he was hit by a car near Dipton last night.

Forsyth Barr Stadium is set for its biggest week yet, with more than 50,000 punters expected through the turnstiles this week.

Two students who fell off the roof of the same Dunedin flat within minutes of each other say the incidents are a reminder for students to think before they act.

The man allegedly behind three armed robberies of a Dunedin dairy, which left the owner upset and wanting out of the business, was arrested by police last night.

The annual migration of students back to Dunedin has begun, with the influx of young people providing a boost to local businesses.

A teenager has been remanded on bail and four others also face charges following a police pursuit through Dunedin that went for 46km and reached speeds of up to 135km/h.

Marking 50 years of work at the Hillside foundry, Roger Parsons yesterday poured the last KiwiRail cast on site before heading to his local for a beer.

A man who removed the nuts from two wheels of a woman's car, resulting in one of the wheels falling off while she was driving, has been jailed for 19 months.

A man who died when a dinghy capsized near Dunedin on Tuesday was a keen fisherman who loved to spin a yarn.

A trio behind an alleged "chop shop" near Mosgiel allegedly used social media to taunt the owner of a stolen vehicle they had dismantled, police say.

A Mongrel Mob member who used a hunting knife on a rival gang member early last year has been jailed for three years and eight months.

A man Tasered after he barricaded himself in a room and threatened self-harm is unlikely to face any charges, police say.

Police are investigating two suspected arsons in Dunedin overnight.

A Dunedin teen brought the Taieri Gorge tourist train to a shuddering stop yesterday after dropping his iPhone.

A man who knocked a prison officer unconscious earlier this year has had six months added to his sentence.

The threat caused by sea level rises means new homes in some coastal areas of Dunedin will have to be built up to 1.2m higher off the ground to reduce flood risks.

Members of the public helped police capture a man who threatened three pharmacy workers with a knife, tied them up and robbed the shop in Dunedin last night.

A man charged after a young mother was stabbed in the neck at her Dunedin home on Monday is now facing a charge of attempted murder.

Donations for the family of a cyclist killed outside Dunedin Hospital on Monday have reached $7500.