A hunter who called 111 after spotting a fire near his Waitaki Valley camp this summer was shocked to receive a $60,000 invoice from the Otago Rural Fire Authority.

Balconies at nine student apartments have been closed amid safety fears after an accident that injured 18 people in Dunedin.

Dunedin family furious police have not laid charges after they woke in the night to find a stranger standing in their bedroom doorway.

Police have found a firearm following the incident in Dunedin.

Party-goers blocked police from entering some flats to get people off balconies and roofs ahead of a balcony collapse that injured 18 people in Dunedin.

Six60 supporting act told students to get off balcony just hours before it collapsed, injuring 18 people.

A first-year university student has spoken about the terrifying moment a balcony came crashing down on top of her as she stood beneath.

Cyclists are bringing the gold back to this former mining town, says Elisabeth Easther.

Two victims of a balcony collapse during a Six60 gig in Dunedin remain in serious conditions in hospital this morning.

Central Otago is wooing a "massive" movie using Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell as a venue, starring up to two Hollywood A-listers.

Five arrests as Otago University's Orientation Week turns feral.

The Wakatipu Basin is a walker's paradise, offering a shed-load of stunning views.

A big rescue effort was mounted in Otago last night after two paua divers were swept out to sea by a rip.

6-year-old identical triplets Olivia, Charlotte and Haylee have been excitedly counting down the days leading to their return to Milton Primary School.

An Alexandra man has been taken to hospital with head injuries after a crash north of the Central Otago town early today.

David Joseph Jackson was found in an unresponsive state and given medical attention, but was pronounced dead at the scene.

A Dunedin woman viciously attacked by dogs has recalled her horror as the dogs "tore strips" off her, ripping away her calf muscle.

The New Zealand forestry unit of Japan's Oji Group plans to invest $23 million to consolidate and expand capacity at its sawmilling and drying facilities in Otago.

Southern stargazers saw in the new year with a spectacle far more impressive than any fireworks display as the Aurora Australis lit up the Otago sky.

Koko Black, a boutique chocolate company from Australia, opened its first offshore chocolate salon in Queenstown late last year. Owner and founder Shane Yardley chose the picturesque location for a number of reasons.

A woman who shot and seriously wounded a man outside his home near Dunedin earlier this year has been convicted of attempted murder.

A man is facing charges after police say they found him drunk and asleep at the wheel of a car parked in the middle of rural North Otago road this morning.

An uneconomic railway line now inspires locals and tourists to get on their bikes.

Hungry, and perhaps a little thirsty in Dunedin? Anna King Shahab discovers 10 great places to sate your appetite.

Univerity of Otago dentistry students were forced to re-sit their last exam without being told why, after 98 unmarked scripts were stolen from the Clocktower building.

In what the University of Otago has slammed as a "reprehensible act", 98 unmarked student exam scripts have been stolen in a burglary at the campus.

A man is facing several charges following an incident at the Tautuku Lodge in the Catlins, which involved armed police overnight.

Emergency workers are currently trying to get to two paragliders who got into some trouble while going over a mountain near Wanaka, in Otago.

A new frost-fighting invention known as the 'Heat Ranger' is being trialled, with the hope it will be able to protect crops next winter.