A man received burns to his arm and leg when the lpg cylinder he was attending to caught fire at the Glendhu Bay Lakeside Holiday Park in central Otago late yesterday morning.

The risks of illegal drug use have been highlighted by a South Island coroner in his findings on the death of a 48-year-old man who had injected morphine.

The body of a person, believed to be missing Clutha teenager Blake Sinclair, has been found today.

Police have charged a Whangarei man after a high-powered green laser light was shone into the cockpit of the Northland rescue helicopter as the crew prepared to land.

The family of missing teenager Blake Sinclair will carry out their own private search of the Clutha River after the official search was scaled down, police say.

The search for missing South Otago teenager Blake McKenzie Sinclair will today become a recovery operation, police say.

One of the four men who were winched to safety off the coast of Dunedin today says it took only a minute for their boat to go down.

Two Dunedin students rescued from remote bush say the biggest lesson learned from their ordeal is to always carry a locator beacon in the backcountry.

Those responsible for shooting five domesticated goats, one of which took five days to die, are being warned by police.

A prominent English sculptor is creating a statue to honour pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe, who grew up in Dunedin.

A solo round-the-world sailor is off and racing again after completing repairs off the Dunedin coast.

A Mosgiel man who fleeced long-time friends and members of his church of $300,000 has been sent to prison for three years and four months on fraud charges.

The victims of fraudster Brent Murray say they are happy to see some justice done, even though they believe they will never get their money back.

Justice officials have been accused of using concerns about building safety to downgrade regional court services in Otago.

Elena Berg seems to be the most brushed up on clothing etiquette when it comes to dressing for University of Otago graduations.

Catherine Smith falls for Oamaru's Victorian township and modern food.

New Zealand's "king" of legal cannabis faces trafficking charges in Australia after allegedly being found with a "commercial quantity" of drugs.

The future of the southern neurosurgery service is now assured, with the announcement $3 million has been raised for the Chair in Neurosurgery at the University of Otago.

The Mayan calendar predicts the world will end next month, but a bevy of brides is set to appease the gods in Waitati tomorrow.