Tallies from the annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt in Central Otago must have embarrassed the Otago Regional Council, as they revealed the ineffectiveness of its pest management, submitters said this week.

A Matakanui farmer hunting on his property at dusk lined up a shot, was alarmed by hearing two gun shots nearby then spotted a suspected poacher through his sights when a man ran across his potential field of fire in what police are calling a "near-miss".

An Otago woman and her family are "gutted" the killer of her teenage daughter will appear before the New Zealand Parole Board again next year, despite being denied parole earlier this week.

A driver in a crash that killed a young Otago man has been sentenced to two years and eight months in jail and disqualified from driving for four years.

A Milton woman has received an apology from the Inland Revenue Department after claims it ignored her pleas that her name and ID were being used fraudulently.

A life ban for a lawyer accused of stealing $3 million from clients was "the only appropriate penalty", the Law Society says.

A resource consent application to finish Bluff oysters in Otago Harbour has been rejected by the Otago Regional Council.

A holocaust survivor and one of the last remaining Jews to be saved by Oskar Schindler hopes her story can help prevent the horrors she witnessed happening again.

Upset locals opposing a housing development by movie star Sam Neill will find out next week, whether their mountain views and idyllic lifestyle will be disturbed.

Viva wine editor Jo Burzynska traverses plains, valleys and rivers on a pinot noir safari in Marlborough.

Drunk university students who set couches alight after being turfed out of parties are blaming police for inflaming tensions.

The Otago Regional Council has launched a fresh attack on the $100 million waterfront hotel proposed for Dunedin, saying a lack of information means resource consent for the project should be rejected.

Large tracts of Otago and Southland's coast could be opened up for the commercial harvesting of paua, with the move expected to face opposition from recreational fishermen.

Multiple gunshots startled volunteers at Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Otago late on Monday, prompting a warning from police over the use of firearms.

A pamphlet has been delivered to Palmerston households warning a convicted child sex offender is living in the community.

Justine Tyerman and her mum take a trip and never leave the rest home.

A man suspected of illegally selling paua to food vendors in Northland could face a fine of up to $250,000 under the Fisheries Act.

A young Dunedin mother who was punched, stabbed, indecently assaulted and almost killed in her home believes judo lessons she attended with her father saved her life.

Two teenagers who put lives at risk by shining a high-powered green laser into the cockpit of the police helicopter have refused to apologise for their actions.