Latest News

A woman whose vehicle rolled multiple times off a steep drop from Moke Lake Road around 10am last Friday, 16 October, coming to rest some 40m below amongst trees, was miraculously able to climb back to the road with a rope line and a little assistance, rescuers say.

Kiwi Park has welcomed three healthy kea chicks, the first ever born at the wildlife sanctuary in its 40-year history. Hatched just over three weeks ago, the chicks represent a significant milestone for the Park's conservation advocacy programme, with kea breeding in captivity having been tightly restricted across the country over the past 35 years!

Police are transitioning to a new phase in their search for missing woman Erika Rodrigues Coelho near Queenstown. The 47-year-old has been missing for a month. She was last seen on Friday, 18 September near Skippers Saddle.

Boaties and recreational water users are being warned to take extreme care this spring and heading into summer, keeping an eye out for slash and debris with several early spring deluges seeing masses of large driftwood washed up on local beaches recently.

Police were called to an alleged three-vehicle collision at the Hanleys Farm intersection on Kingston Road. A vehicle on Jack Hanley Drive turning right has allegedly failed to give way to oncoming traffic and allegedly collided with a vehicle travelling towards Frankton.

The Skyline Charity Golf Classic raffle opened on 1 October 2026, giving the wider community a chance to win one of 15 prizes worth more than $60,000 while helping Wakatipu High School students attend Branches Camp.

Cooler temperatures and light rain overnight have helped suppress the vegetation fire at Walter Peak, providing firefighters with more favourable conditions as operations continue today. An early morning flight found that the fire has significantly reduced, with no visible flames observed around the fire perimeter.

A local youth was arrested over the weekend after a group of youths were allegedly identified on a private yacht moored in Queenstown Bay. The individual was charged with unlawfully takes motor vehicle, unlawful gets into a motor vehicle, unlawfully gets onto a ship and escapes custody.

Firefighting resumed at Walter Peak at 7am today, with air and ground operations underway. Four helicopters equipped with monsoon buckets are cooling hotspots and dampening the fire perimeter, with a fifth helicopter used as an aerial platform to direct the air attack.

Police have paused the search for missing 47-year-old Erika Rodrigues Coelho.This difficult decision follows extensive searches of the area since Erika was reported missing on 20 September.

NHR has rolled into town, bringing a range of moving trucks and cargo vans suitable for individuals and business hire. Their fleet includes diesel vehicles and our district’s first electric moving truck – all complete with handy tail lifts.

Firefighting operations are continuing at Walter Peak, where a large vegetation fire is burning on steep slopes above the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Fire and Emergency is responding to a large vegetation fire at Walter Peak station on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Police are calling for help from the public to identify a man in his 30s of Asian complexion who may be of assistance in the extensive search for a 47-year-old Brazilian woman who’s been missing in the Skippers Saddle-Mount Dewar area for almost two weeks.

Police seek the public's help to identify a man seen on the summit track in the Mount Dewar area about 12.30pm on Friday afternoon 18 September.

A Queenstown firefighting legend has recently returned from the US where he had his work cut out for him helping manage and coordinate four different helicopter bases – two in Oregon and two in Washington, in the massive battles there against wildfires.

Police and LandSAR volunteers continue to scour the rugged hill country around Skippers Saddle and Mount Dewar for the second day today (24 September) in the hope of finding clues as to the whereabouts of a missing woman last seen at Skippers Saddle, near Coronet Peak, on Friday, 18 September.

Some volunteer firefighters are concerned that they can’t get through Queenstown’s notorious traffic congestion to respond to callouts, and while the local FENZ assistant district commander says it hasn’t affected response times yet, it potentially could.

While there was widespread alarm both on the ground and on board as significant flames leapt from the engine of a Qantas jet upon take-off from Queenstown last Saturday (5 September), Qantas assures its pilots had everything under control.

Ten people were taken to Lakes District Hospital by St John Ambulance crews, at least one with moderate injuries, after what is believed to have been a head-on collision between two vehicles near the summit on Crown Range Road at around 3.30pm yesterday (9 September).