Southland

Southland's regional council has backed an investigation that could result in local authorities merging.

Te reo Māori street names are on track for a boost in Invercargill as the council takes steps to ensure they are more readily available.

Meridian said the decision came after advice from independent experts.

Karen Arnold has been embroiled in a battle with Invercargill council since 2022.

Forest and Bird has accusing the government of "changing the law to let a North American deer species use the national park as a glorified vege patch". Audio

Conversations are underway to decide what stories to tell, and how.

Invercargill City Council and Waihōpai Rūnaka say mana whenua stories will have a key role in Te Unua Museum.

The land at Omaui holds special significance to Māori but other residents were concerned about retaining the view.

An Invercargill man has been sentenced to 200 hours of community work for letting his dog starve to death.

A Ford Courier ute parked on Marine Parade was set a light.

There were two aggravated robberies and multiple burglaries in Invercargill in the early hours of Monday.

No one was injured.

It comes after 10yo Australian girl Tegan Chen died after slipping on rocks into Marian Creek in January 2024.

An old rugby club building in rural Southland could soon be sold for just $1.

A diver is recovering well after being bitten by a shark at Dusky Sound in Fiordland National Park.

A coronial hearing will hear from a witness claiming John Beckenridge and his stepson Mike were helped to escape after they disappeared in Southland a decade ago.

A coroner will hear more evidence about claims the pair died by murder-suicide, or staged their deaths and fled overseas.

Rodents and a contractor had brought down many internet and phone services for the lower South Island, with people across Southland and Otago reporting outages.