Articles by Ben Tomsett
-
National
‘You are a coward’: Teen jailed over 3 years, 3 months for Dunedin bus hub killing
Friday, 11 July 2025, 12:56pmA 14-year-old boy who fatally stabbed 16-year-old Enere McLaren-Taana at the Dunedin bus hub last year has been jailed for...
-
National
‘Clearly preventable’: Company, director sentenced over timber yard death
Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 1:53pmA Timaru timber company and its director have been ordered to pay more than $450,000 in fines and reparations over the death...
-
National
'David and Goliath': Australian gold mine company makes $25m Central Otago land deal
Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 12:26pmA $25 million land acquisition by Australian mining company Santana Minerals has reignited community concerns over the proposed...
-
National
Tragic death of 10yo tourist sparks national park safety upgrades
Wednesday, 9 July 2025, 7:18amThe Department of Conservation has made sweeping safety upgrades to a popular Fiordland walking track after the tragic death...
-
National
North Island detectives appointed to take fresh look at Lachie Jones' death
Wednesday, 2 July 2025, 11:57amPolice have set the stage for a reinvestigation into the death of 3-year-old Lachie Jones. It follows a coroner’s scathing...
-
National
'Uber in the sky': Can competing gondolas fix Queenstown's traffic woes?
Saturday, 28 June 2025, 11:27amA race is underway in Queenstown, not on the ski slopes, but in the skies. Two aerial transit proposals are promising to...
-
National
Police allege mum used meth before crash causing 7yo son's death
Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 10:49amThe mother of a 7-year-old boy killed in a crash in March has appeared in court this morning for a charge of careless driving...
-
National
Dunedin school recovers $365K in misappropriated fund
Friday, 30 May 2025, 3:58pmA Dunedin high school from which nearly $365,000 was misappropriated says the matter has been resolved, and it chose not...
-
National
Rare moth discovery could derail gold mine plans
Monday, 26 May 2025, 2:19pmA rare native moth species may put the brakes on a major mining expansion near Macraes Flat, Otago. OceanaGold’s proposed...
-
National
Gore police follow 'positive leads' in suspicious Waikaia house fire
Monday, 26 May 2025, 1:07pmFifteen months after a suspicious house fire in Gore, police say they are preparing to make an arrest. Emergency services...
-
National
Peters and Jones reopen $127m railway workshops amid protests and political jabs
Friday, 16 May 2025, 4:48pmThe $127.97 million rebuild of Dunedin’s Hillside Railway Workshops has reopened, marking a major boost for local jobs and...
-
National
Watch: Thieves ram-raid Temuka service station with stolen vehicle
Thursday, 15 May 2025, 3:08pmA shopfront has been wrecked and two people remain on the run after a small South Island town’s service station was ram-raided...
-
National
Fire at Dunedin homeless camp linjures one, destroys shelter at Kensington Oval
Friday, 9 May 2025, 2:34pmA large fire ripped through a homeless encampment at the Kensington Oval in Dunedin this morning. Fire and Emergency New...
-
National
'We just want him home safe': Light spotted on route where went missing; family speaks
Friday, 9 May 2025, 1:58pmThe family of British hiker Eli Sweeting say a light was spotted on a descent route in the area he went missing in. Sweeting...
-
National
'Daddy's girl': Te Anau character crushed in fatal workplace accident
Monday, 5 May 2025, 1:17pmA woman killed in a fatal workplace accident at the Te Anau transfer station has been remembered for her tireless work ethic...
-
National
Search for missing hiker in Milford Sound
Monday, 5 May 2025, 12:17pmSearch and Rescue teams are entering Milford Sound this morning after a hiker failed to return home yesterday evening. Police...
-
National
Severe thunderstorm warning lifted for Auckland
Saturday, 19 April 2025, 12:40pmMetService says the red thunderstorm warning in Auckland has been lifted. Dozens of Aucklanders were hit by flooding inside...
-
National
Lachie Jones: Coroner to deliver findings into Gore toddler's death
Friday, 18 April 2025, 12:41pmA coroner will deliver final findings into the death of Gore toddler Lachie Jones in June. On Thursday, Coroner Alexander...
-
National
Dunedin hospital: Construction on inpatient building to resume mid-year
Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 3:31pmFollowing months of delays and public backlash, work on the new Dunedin hospital’s inpatient building will resume mid-year. The...
-
National
Is Ashburton's water supply a health risk to babies? Council denies Greenpeace claims
Tuesday, 15 April 2025, 12:58pmGreenpeace tests found nearly 20% of Ashburton water samples exceeded allowable nitrate levels linked to blue baby syndrome. The...
-
National
High-profile Dunedin man facing multiple sex charges keeps name secret for now
Tuesday, 1 April 2025, 11:50amA Dunedin man facing six sex charges will keep his identity suppressed. He pleaded not guilty to rape and unlawful sexual...
-
National
‘A delightful person’: Community mourns loss of prominent businessman after plane crash
Monday, 31 March 2025, 12:08pmThe Gore community is mourning the loss of a well-respected businessman who died in a plane crash at Hawea on Saturday. Ivan...
-
National
Why there’s no public transport between two of NZ’s top tourist towns - yet
Tuesday, 25 March 2025, 2:52pmThe Otago Regional Council has no immediate plans for a bus service linking Queenstown and Wanaka. Economic viability and...
-
National
‘Wow, that’s a moose’: US tramper claims rare sighting, but DoC workers have their doubts
Wednesday, 19 March 2025, 12:20pmA new moose sighting in Fiordland by an American tramper is deemed “most compelling in years”. Norbert Nigon reported seeing...
