He battled up to 500C heat and 18m flames to save a house and, for his efforts, was transferred to hospital suffering from heat exhaustion.

Police are ''following a number of lines of inquiry'' as they tried to track down the person responsible for an online shooting threat at the University of Otago.

Fire crews are battling serious blazes in Dunedin and Dunback. Two homes in Saddle Hill are burning and a third is threatened. Some residents have been evacuated.

Flights are at a standstill at Dunedin Airport and a large fire grew rapidly out of control this morning as strong winds batter Otago.

Police warn students told that "small jokes" at Otago University will be taken seriously following online shooting threat.

Police are warning students and staff to be vigilant as Otago University opens for ''business as usual'' following online threat.

Strong winds have severed power lines in Dunedin, cutting power to about 50 Port Chalmers residents this morning.

Gusts up to 170km/h in the South Island, leave emergency services inundated with calls.

Police say they were searching for a car involved in a crash near Queenstown this morning because of complaints about erratic driving.

Searchers have found debris today after two friends went missing at sea on Wednesday.

A teenager allegedly led police on a 40 minute pursuit through central Otago last night.

Searchers looking for two missing boaties off the Southland coast have found a drink bottle that may belong to one of the pair.

Two friends missing at sea off the Catlins coast were experienced sea-goers, loved in their community, with one a land search and rescue member.

Police have named 77-year-old Whetuki Sam Kopua and 60-year-old Matekino Lucy Burling, both of Owaka, as the people missing in the Catlin area.

A large forest fire south of Dunedin, near the small village of Waipori Falls, is believed to be under control.

New Zealand Post is pulling out of six-day rural delivery in parts of Otago and Southland.

A former Dunedin lawyer who did not turn up for her trial has been found guilty on all 46 charges of tax evasion involving more than $180,000.

Nathan Jacobs had been away from his Arrowtown home for only about 20 minutes last night, before returning to find three fire crews dousing it in water.

Hunters tempted to ''farm'' wild deer or pigs before hunting competitions are likely to be out of luck at a competition later this month.

James Russell is amazed during a trip to Queenstown to discover that since he last grasped poles, Kiwi skifields have lifted their game higher than the Matterhorn.

A motorist last night spoke of cheating death after his ute accidently rolled into the path of a 900-tonne goods train.

But the would-be thief, who was only able to find loose change, left behind a bloody calling card in the building's reception area after being cut while breaking in.

A tourist driver who killed an Oamaru 5-year-old girl in a crash will have to wait another two weeks for the result of an appeal against his jail sentence.

Taxi company Uber says it has no plans to launch its services in Otago and Southland just yet - but that hasn't stopped them offering sweeteners to the public today.

Life as a short-term resident of a beautiful Central Otago town suits Roger Hall fine.

Police are warning motorists in Otago and Southland to be careful in icy conditions this morning after overnight snowfalls.

Animal rights advocates have condemned a ''disturbing'' rise in the number of forced animal drownings this year.

The woman who died in a car crash in Otago on Friday has been named.