An Oamaru man who caused a five-car smash that left five injured and one dead was a learner driver and had smoked two bongs before getting behind the wheel.

Oliver Briggs gave his competitor a head start in the men's slalom heats - next minute, he was "flying through the air".

An Oamaru man remains in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital after being shot in the head at close range by a fishing line shooting machine.

'Why don't they shoot the bloody thing?' asks angry Oamaru resident.

Quick-thinking dairy farmer uses milk to put out a shed fire.

Police are investigating after a milk tanker ran off the road in North Otago, killing the driver.

It's been a lifetime in the making, years in its construction, but Dot Smith's fantasy castle is nearly ready.

A man arrested on Friday night and then given bail on Saturday morning went on an alleged crime spree in Christchurch, Oamaru and Dunedin.

Designers from all over the country - and sometimes from overseas - will show off their skills and their imaginations in June in Oamaru.

Police are not commenting today on how a 14-month-old baby suffered serious injuries in Oamaru.

A man and a woman accused of disposing of the dead body of a child at Oamaru almost five years ago have been granted interim name suppression.

Police have praised the actions of members of the public who rushed to the aid of an Oamaru teenager hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing on State Highway 1 yesterday.

A man who died in a workplace incident near Oamaru yesterday has been named by police.

Police said the driver of the car has died at the crash on Oamaru-Alma Rd.

Police have released the name of the man who died when a tractor rolled yesterday.

Emergency services were called to the North Otago farm property at around 11.20am this morning.

A drone spotted hovering ominously in a single spot near Oamaru homes has spooked at least one resident.

An estimated 2500 people showed up to protest proposed funding cuts to Oamaru hospital today.

An investigation is under way in Oamaru after police discovered the body of a man in a shopping block.

A Chinese tourist has admitted causing the death of Oamaru 5-year-old Ruby Jay Marris.

Ruby Jay Marris, the five year-old killed in a crash involving a foreign driver in Otago, has been remembered as “cherished and loved” and a "fun-loving princess".

Six overseas drivers have appeared in court over the past 24 hours after a series of crashes that have focused attention on tourist driving.

A heartbroken family are mourning the loss of 5-year-old Ruby Jay Marris after a car crash involving a foreign driver in Otago.

"We thought we had it covered''. An investigation has been launched into what caused a steam train to start 21 fires south of Oamaru.

How to heat a castle? That was the challenge for Christchurch engineer Alan Cooke when he got the job at Riverstone Castle being built by Dot Smith outside Oamaru.

Two child car seats and a handbag were all that were left when a mother's car was allegedly stolen by a young hitchhiker she'd picked up.

A Maheno teenager is fighting for his life after being struck by a milk tanker near Maheno in Otago early yesterday.