Latest News

$2K raised for Volunteer South

The Nigel Latta “Resilience” Tour held during October has raised $2000 for the Volunteer South- Central Lake Trust.  Last Thursday Susan Finlay, Chief Executive of Central Lakes Trust presented Volunteer South’s Gillian White with...... Read More

Watersports Facility celebrates first birthday

Wānaka Watersports Facility celebrated its first anniversary with an open day and family picnic at the lakefront site on Sunday. Event organiser Claire Radford said it was a “fabulous event” with several hundred people coming through to...... Read More

EDITORIAL: Tenure review system was not working

Look on page 7; there is an article on the demise of the high country tenure review system Back in the day, the idea of tenure review seemed a good one. The Crown would pay out its high country pastoral lease owners for some land, which would be retired...... Read More

Makarora ultra-fast broadband continued

As a continuation from last week's story on this issue, Chorus has responded to the Sun by saying  it will have the Haast to Hawea section of ultra-fast broadband build completed by early to mid-2022. Chorus works stretch approximately 360km...... Read More

Wānaka Primary cleans up the lakeshore

Last Friday, November 20, Wānaka Primary School teacher Markus Hermanns organised a clean-up along the lakefront between the Wānaka Marina and Pembroke Park with 21 of his year 5 and 6 students, accompanied by Chris Arbuckle from The Touchstone Project...... Read More

Editorial: What’s in the weather?

Having been a mountaineer for most of my life, I have always retained an obsession with the weather. After all the success of trips into the mountains hinges on the coming weather forecast. I’m now an adventure motorcyclist and with this sport,...... Read More

Foreshore e-bike rental a no-go

A proposal to establish an e-bike rental on the Lake Wānaka foreshore has been denied consent by the council. LandEscape applied to operate out of a food/coffee caravan on the recreational reserve beside the Mt Aspiring car park but was told the foreshore...... Read More

$3 million funding coup for WAI Wānaka

WAI (Water Action Initiative) Wanaka has gained $3M in funding from Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to employ Wānaka folk in the Jobs for Nature (JFN) programme over the next three years. The funding will allow Wai Wānaka to employ up to 30 people...... Read More

Risk over our heads: Wānaka festivals and Covid

When producer Alix Perez moved to New Zealand from the UK with his Kiwi fiance, and launched a sold-out tour with a Rhythm and Alps warm-up gig in Wānaka last month, he was one of the first international performers to play a show in NZ since the Covid-19...... Read More

Celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday

The Central Otago Regional Orchestra will be celebrating German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday this weekend with a performance of three of his works in Alexandra and Wānaka. Under the baton of Ashley Hopkins, the orchestra...... Read More