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Police have arrested eight people and seized cash and drugs following search warrants in the Queenstown area.

Quick thinking by an onsite manager saved Arrowtown restaurant Slow Cuts and neighbouring businesses in the Royal Oak building from being burnt to the ground last Thursday, 4 June as did prompt action by local firefighters, FENZ Otago Lakes Group assistant commander Nic McQuillan says.

Established as a charitable trust in 2013, the Wakatipu High School Foundation exists to support Wakatipu High School - the only public high school serving the Wakatipu Basin - in its mission to deliver New Zealand’s best all-round education.

Some people make more of an impact backstage than centre stage and Queenstown sound and lighting legend Mike Brettell is one of those people.

Queenstown and the Southern Lakes will be well represented when the who’s who of snow, including two highly experienced North American avalanche and rescue experts, converge on Wānaka this week for the biennial Southern Hemisphere Alpine Conference (SHAC).

The rising young musicians of our region are amping up for the regional finals of Smokefreerockquest. This Saturday Queenstown Memorial Centre will be taken over by the phenomenal musical talent coming out of local schools.

Mental Health by Katherine Froggatt

Local firefighters pulled off some impressive feats at the Firefighter Sky Tower Challenge recently, with Frankton volunteers becoming the first local team to win a grand trophy for their fundraising, placing third in their 6 to 9-member category nationally.

Queenstown ski resort The Remarkables will become New Zealand’s largest, with a proposed $150 million-plus expansion into the Doolans Basin. The highly-anticipated project, which has been years in the making, will see the ski resort increase significantly in size to 711 hectares from its current 449 hectares, and will feature NZ’s longest gondola (2.7km long).

Burglars who targeted 11th Avenue in Frankton, hit twice in the past week, were “pretty determined”, those caught on security camera even bringing empty plastic milk containers to fill from the beer taps, co-owner Gino Mendoza says.

Geeks on Wheels, a nationwide mobile tech support company, is expanding to The Queenstown-Lakes District, with plans to offer free community tech help sessions focused on scam awareness and online safety.

A community fundraising powerhouse and dedicated volunteer, no task is beneath local nurse Tracy McLean from decisions in the charitable trust boardroom to cleaning loos.

Social Animal started its life as a comedy sketch about a dog. It’s now evolved into a stage show that follows a down-on-his-luck actor who is followed home one evening by a stray, neurotic ex-racing greyhound.

The return of a new Queenstown Winter Festival-inspired event – Snow Fest – has officially heralded the start to winter, with event organisers toasting its success. Snow Fest concluded on Saturday after a two-day programme of sold-out community events that gave a nod to the much-loved former Winter Festival, which ran annually from 1975-2023.

Hāwea Flat-based artist Robyn Bardas’ exhibition, Bone is Bone, is currently on display at Te Atamira. It’s all about connection – between ourselves and other species, stretching from human to horse, and the way we communicate with each other.

Queenstown’s housing shortage means finding a room or flat can feel like a full-time job. Every week as we get closer to winter, Facebook groups are flooded with posts from workers and families searching for somewhere to live. Unfortunately, tight supply also creates opportunities for scams, misunderstandings and disputes.

A couple of alleged, teenage poachers – one from Lake Hayes and one from Cromwell, were spoken to by Police who executed search warrants early yesterday after two prize breeding stags, worth between $US30,000 and $US50,000, were shot and killed on a Bendigo farm.

As winter creeps up upon us and I’m still moaning about that summer, it’s easy to think there’s not much to do in the garden at this time of year. Yet it is a very busy time of year if you want it to be.

Rachel Rose is just one of those people who’s always putting her hand up to help. She may have studied politics in her homeland of England, and worked in IT, but she soon discovered it was people she loved most, and helping them.

Many people believe that sight loss is rare. But anyone can experience blindness, deafblindness, or low vision at any stage of life.