Southland

Two crew suffered serious burns and a third received bruising — all three were taken to Invercargill's Kew Hospital after the accident on board the Malta-flagged M.V Olivia.

Around 20 new jobs are anticipated, boosting the 140-strong workforce, as South Port looks to fill around 21 additional roles in the next 12 to 18 months.

Tour of Southland cyclists will be on roads around Southland and Queenstown from 1 to 7 November — take extra care when driving near them.

A young fur seal pup was a very long way from home when he recently ended up at Heddon Bush, near Central Southland.

Jack Heslip also took out the Junior World Ball trap title in the UK this year, and has been selected to represent New Zealand in a 3-person junior team vs Australia in Sydney in mid-January.

Invercargill City Council paid out $212,100 across seven payments, ranging from $5,025 to $99,059, while Gore District Council made no severance payments at all.

Southland is 1.6% above asking price — and West Coast buyers are also paying over asking, yet it remains the country's most affordable region at an average selling price of $482,000.

The fire affected 130 hectares of high country grazing and public conservation land. Sunday's firefighting efforts successfully protected the two cell towers on the top of Centre Hill.