The Timaru Herald
Fire station rebuild on track for June finish
A $3.5 million rebuild of the Twizel fire station is on track for completion by the end of June, according to Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Work on the 55-year-old building, dubbed a “half-life refurbishment” by the fire service, began in May last...
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Here’s the most popular reads of 2025
The Timaru District’s libraries’ boss was heartened to see some Kiwi titles crack their top 10 issued list in 2025. Michael Priest, the Timaru District Council’s general manager gallery, libraries, archives and museum said the popularity of A...
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Heritage Precinct display grows
Vintage earthmoving machinery used in the construction of the Upper Waitaki power development is now part of a growing display that aims to showcase Twizel’s history. The latest additions are a 988 loader that worked on Mt Cook Rd, gravel pits and...
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Court cuts through lease fight
Both sides involved in a dispute over the lease of pastoral grazing land in South Canterbury have copped criticism in a recent High Court decision. Justice Robert Osborne’s decision, released publicly in late December, said neither the lessors (Dave...
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Baby’s death not preventable CORONER
The death of a three-month-old baby in state care almost a decade ago has been put down to Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy and was not preventable, a coroner has found. Chloe Vera Nicholson died on June 6, 2016 in Palmerston North in the care of...
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Local firms exit, stage left
Local building firms have withdrawn their interest in the construction contract for one of the Timaru district’s largest building projects. The revelation came in the Friends of the Theatre Royal’s December and January newsletter, which says members...
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A dedicated follower of harness racing
Harness racing is about much more than just the horses for Elizabeth Shand. While racing remains a “real social day” and more, the long-serving Timaru Harness Racing Club member has plenty of jobs on her plate for the club’s twilight meeting on...
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‘A roller coaster’ ride
An international shipping company advertised seafaring roles soon after the Government declined its application for an exemption to operate a foreign-flagged vessel in New Zealand’s domestic waters, but says that was an accident. An Employment...
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Honour for services to theatre, community
For more than 50 years, Carol Angland has actively served the South Canterbury community. The 81-year-old Timaru woman, who also shares her time in Wānaka, has received a King’s Service Medal in the New Year honours for services to the community and...
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Graham Carr ‘over the moon’
A South Canterbury man whose deer farm is the world’s largest producer of velvet has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Year Honours 2026. Graham Carr, of Peel Forest Estate, is recognised for his “wide-ranging...
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Consent changes disappoint
There is “a lot of feeling in the community” about a decision to allow smaller shops at The Showgrounds and the impact it will have on Timaru’s town centre, a business owner says. Glen Patterson’s comments come after it was revealed last month that...
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What candidates spent on campaigns
One of the Timaru District’s new councillors spent the most in his campaign for a seat around the council table, while third-time Timaru mayor Nigel Bowen was the next biggest spender. Electoral donation and expense returns, following the local body...
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What’s on in South Canterbury
Friday (Boxing Day) Caroline Bay Carnival Opening: 2pm, the 115th annual carnival in Timaru, featuring family entertainment, carnival rides, sideshow games and competitions. Runs until January 11. Concerts at 2pm (Tomahawk Radio) and 7pm (Fleetwood...
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115th Caroline Bay Carnival swings into action
Preparations for the 115th Caroline Bay Carnival are in full swing ahead of opening day on Friday, with the president calling on the community to get behind the event. President Allen Martin said the association had been fielding numerous inquiries...
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Christmas spirit alive and well
South Canterbury is coming alive with Christmas spirit and activities, and The Timaru Herald’s photographers have been out and about capturing it.
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Collective plots growing competition
A Timaru group that hopes to grow vegetable gardens in green spaces throughout the district has plotted a competition that will benefit the community this Christmas. In October, 19 members of the Veggie Garden Collective were given a potato to grow in...
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Christmas Procession pokes un-PC fun
It might be the most politically incorrect parade in the country, but just who will turn out to participate in Pleasant Point’s annual procession this evening won’t be known until they show up. The town’s annual Christmas Procession began in 1959, and...
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Murderer ‘ashamed, sickened’
The men who exacted deadly “retribution” on a South Canterbury man whose body has never been found have been imprisoned for life. Anaru Moana was lured to a quiet reserve in Waimate on an early December morning in late 2021. There, he was chased, shot...
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Monument unveiled at Timaru’s cemetery
A monument has been unveiled at Timaru’s cemetery, honouring those who lie there with no formal headstone. The community-led project was officially celebrated on Sunday when members of the public, those behind the initiative, Timaru District mayor...
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Christmas in the Square marks major milestone
The organiser of Waimate’s annual Christmas in the Square credits the community’s support for helping keep the event going for 20 years. Organiser John Begg said the 2025 celebration at Seddon Square on Wednesday would offer an evening of fun and...
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Gloriavale leader Temple jailed Howard Temple has been jailed for crimes similar to those of founder Hopeful Christian, including indecently assaulting girls and women
Gloriavale’s former leader Howard Wendell Temple has been jailed for two years and two months for indecency offending against six girls and young women inside the secretive Christian community over two decades. Temple, 85, is the second “Overseeing...
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Good growing ahead of Strawberry Fare
A good berry-growing season ahead of Waimate’s 41st Strawberry Fare has been welcomed by growers and by organisers of the annual event. What started as a small community event with just a handful of stalls at Butler’s Berry Farm in 1984, now hosts...
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World Tennis Tour returning to Timaru
Timaru will host the World Tennis Tour again in 2026, having been selected as a host location for the first time in 2025. Tennis New Zealand commercial and marketing manager Gareth Archer, who described the town’s tennis facilities as the best in the...
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TIMARU $24.2m stadium redevelopment continues
Work continues on the $24.2 million redevelopment at Aorangi Park, where foundations for Timaru’s new stadium and link building are scheduled to be laid in January. As part of the project, which began in July, Aorangi Stadium in Morgans Rd will be...
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Barker’s battle for factory
Barker’s has been in tense discussions with ECan and the Department of Conservation over its factory wastewater practices for months, but new talks in the past week are hoped to spark solutions. Hundreds of emails, released under the Official...
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Recovering racer gets set to go again after crash
Gary Duncan thought his number was up when his race car crashed into a tyre wall at more than 220kph, but he’s already planning his comeback. The 65-year-old motor-racing stalwart from Temuka was competing in the OSCA (Open Saloon Car Association)...
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Shoppers spend $1.3m on Black Friday weekend
Tills in South Canterbury were ringing to the tune of $1.3 million in the three days of Black Friday weekend, rounding out a busy month of spending in the region. For the month of November, spending in South Canterbury increased by 1.4% on 2024 to...
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Rare albatross for Pleasant Point golfer
A little bit of anger went a long way for a South Canterbury golfer who is now celebrating a rare feat in the sport. When Brad Tegelaars holed his second shot on the 470m par five 18th hole at the Pleasant Point Golf Club on November 27 he joined an...
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Repair work begins on Timaru footbridge
More than two years after it was closed, repairs to a footbridge connecting Timaru’s port to the CBD have begun. The work was a significant step forward for the bridge which had been closed since November 2023, after an inspection identified the need...
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Aiming to finish upgrade by Christmas
Four months after the original deadline for completion of a controversial upgrade to a corner site in central Timaru, the council is still waiting on handrails to be made. Strathallan Corner has been undergoing a makeover since May. The work’s...
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Charities: Need for help ‘has never been greater’
Food banks supporting families in South Canterbury are reporting an increased demand as they prepare for the busiest time of the year. The increase in demand has been attributed to rent increases, unemployment and increasing food prices, with family...
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Veggie Garden Collective flourishes
A community initiative to help feed those in need continues to grow in Timaru, with its aim to fill green spaces across the region with vegetable gardens beginning to take shape. The Veggie Garden Collective’s community garden in Otipua Rd is looking...
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Latest exhibition most heartfelt for artist
As a prolific artist, Wayne Patrick has held many exhibitions over the years but his latest is his most heartfelt. The Timaru artist will open up his studio in the historic Royal Arcade from today until Sunday with a display of his work featuring new...
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Guide, client killed in Aoraki/Mt Cook fall
The two climbers who died after falling while attempting to ascend Aoraki/Mt Cook on Monday night were an internationally qualified mountain guide and their client. Canterbury Aoraki area commander Inspector Vicki Walker said that at about 11.20pm on...
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Campers hatch plan for family
Marshall and Andrina Stoddart are used to welcoming hordes of campers over the festive season, but even they were surprised when their latest visitors set up camp. And just where the happy campers have chosen to hang out with their new children...
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The miracle baby – that’s our Lamatau
When Taylor McDonald gave birth to her second child, Lamatau, she wondered how someone so small could survive. But eight months on, the Timaru baby continued to defy the odds, after he was born on March 11, at 24 weeks and six days, weighing 830...
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Busy cruise ship season scheduled for Timaru
Timaru is the only port in New Zealand with an increase in cruise ship visits this season, and it is expected to be the busiest schedule yet. Cruise tourism in New Zealand is entering a period of retreat and industry figures show port visits across...
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DOC confirms car park prices for Aoraki
The Department of Conservation is ploughing ahead with a paid parking trial at three busy tourist sites – despite most submitters saying they would rather not pay for parking. Locals will be able to park for $10 a year at Aoraki Mt Cook, Franz Josef...
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Death Valley
Detective Sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) has her sights set on being a detective inspector. Unfortunately, her boss, Detective Chief Inspector Barry Clarke (Steffan Rhodri), is somewhat sceptical of her skills, unnerved by her enthusiasm...
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Olympians on track to help athletes
Two of New Zealand’s top Olympic athletes are helping teammates clear one of their toughest hurdles — the cost of competing for their country. Christchurch athletes Tom Walsh and Hamish Kerr have co-founded the Aotearoa Athletics Trust to help fund...
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Waimate poet wins writing residency
After his beloved wife Chris died unexpectedly, John Russell-Hodge wrote poetry as a way of dealing with his grief. Emotional stuff was something the Waimate man said he would have usually outsourced to his wife, but thanks to his writing he found a...
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A&P show to include drone racing for first time
Organisers of this week’s A&P Show in Waimate have continued a theme of keeping things fresh to keep the crowds coming. Ahead of the Southern Canterbury Show at the Waimate A&P Showgrounds, show association manager Reto Oswald said the committee had...
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Save More opens Timaru discount grocery store
With twin aims of reducing food waste and bringing discount groceries to towns across the South Island, a New Zealand company has opened a new store in Timaru. Save More opened at 27 Theodosia St, on State Highway 1, on Saturday, giving residents in...
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Restoration of the ‘heart’ of Craighead
A building considered to be the heart of Timaru’s Craighead Diocesan School will be reopened next year after an extension restoration and redevelopment. Shand House, a category II heritage building, served as the school’s boarding house and...
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Council organisations under same roof
As the scaffolding came down around one of Timaru’s oldest buildings yesterday, the staff of the district’s tourism and economic development agency were settling into their new offices. Venture Timaru shifted to the former Union Bank of Australia...
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Want something a little quirky, pop in to shop
Founded just months before the Covid pandemic and now operating in a tough economic climate, a Waimate business keen to offer “something different” has not only survived, it has flourished. The Quirky Magpie outgrew its Queen St shop, and with strong...
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Ollyver facing multiple surgeries
Ollyver Brokenshire was born with a rare condition that will lead to multiple reconstructive surgeries, but his mother says her son has already shown a “stubborn” fighting spirit. The 11-week-old Timaru baby was born with amniotic band syndrome, a...
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Council on the hunt for theatre manager
Timaru’s council is advertising for a theatre manager to bring its Theatre Royal project to life now that demolition and construction at the site is under way. The council decided to go ahead with a new proposal to upgrade the Theatre Royal and build...
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‘Marvellous family trip’ back to Aoraki/Mt Cook
Allan Averis’ latest vintage car rally to Aoraki/Mt Cook has been significantly less arduous than his first in 1956 as an unlicensed motorcycle rider. This time the 86-year-old South Cantabrian was chauffeured from Timaru to Aoraki/Mt Cook at the...
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MARITIME Rudderless tanker towed out of Timaru
An oil and chemical tanker damaged near Stewart Island last month was towed out of Timaru on Sunday for the final leg of a rescue operation expected to take at least 40 days. Japan’s most powerful ocean-going salvage tug, Koyo Maru, arrived at...
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Pipe Band Championships hit a high note MUSIC
The small town of Geraldine was filled with the sound of bagpipes and drums yesterday morning, thanks to the fourth annual South Canterbury Pipe Band Championships. Organised by the South Canterbury Highland Pipe Band, the competition at Geraldine...
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Sculpture class of its own
It was back to school for Timaru sculptor Debbie Templeton-Page when completing a large sculpture to mark a special occasion in history. Her large bluestone piece now sits in a special garden at Bluestone School, commemorating its 20th...
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‘Landlords need tenants, not cobwebs’
The future of central Timaru lies not in restoring its retail dominance, but in reimagining it as a resilient, multifunctional space that reflects local identity and fosters community life, an art and design historian says. Andrew Paul Wood’s comments...
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SH80 in Mackenzie closed until further notice
As much of the country was battered by wind, South Canterbury appears to have remained relatively unscathed during the seven hours a rare red wind warning was issued for, with flooding at Aoraki Mt Cook the most disruptive. Strong winds and power...
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RANGITATA HUTS Residents fought fire to protect homes
A driftwood fire that threatened properties in the Rangitata Huts community on Tuesday night may have been deliberately lit, but it is likely its cause will never be determined. It was a frightening night for residents of the community near Temuka, as...
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Author hopes to inspire next generation
Growing up in Timaru as a young wordsmith, Carl Shuker remembers looking around the town for great writers to learn from and aspire to. It was not until he left the South Canterbury town that his parents moved next door to someone who fitted that bill...
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New gelato business scoops up customers
Within 10 days of opening, Geraldine’s first gelato business sold out of nine flavours, aided by good weather and a desire from residents of the town to support local, its owner says. Hello Gelato, at 34 Talbot St, opened on October 11, on a day when...
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Busker nearly plays last note in Brisbane HEALTH
Timaru’s famed busker Jimmy McGuinness almost traded his beloved accordion for a harp in Brisbane last month. On September 4, the 79-year-old had just booked into the historic Waterloo Bay Hotel in Wynnum, Brisbane, to spend his annual fortnight’s...
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Seafarers Welfare Centre at Timaru’s port officially opened
As a new centre to provide a place of rest for sailors at Timaru’s port was officially opened, a message was read on behalf of seafarers who face losing their jobs to foreign labour. The single-storey South Canterbury Seafarers Welfare Centre, which...
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Jim Bolger 1935-2025
After pulling together a leadership coup against Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley said it was “hard in the moment”, but the deposed prime minister always remained “professional”. Bolger had been the 35th prime minister when Shipley took over as National...
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Story of one woman at five ages returns
It made its New Zealand premiere to sellout audiences in Timaru in 2006, and a repeat season sold out again the following year. Now, 18 years on, Babooshka, is being produced again by the South Canterbury Drama League’s Little Theatre and Repertory...
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Seafarers ask Govt to refuse new permits
Seafarers who face losing their jobs to foreign labour want the Government to oppose applications for a new foreignowned vessel and crew to operate in New Zealand waters and introduce laws to protect Kiwi workers. Seafarer, and Maritime Union of New...
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Say goodbye to dark spots with Mela B3
It’s no secret that hyperpigmentation is an all-too-common skin concern that is incredibly frustrating to tackle, and there are a plethora of reasons why dark spots can appear, often seemingly out of nowhere. Regardless of how you get it, treating and...
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Voters re-elect Scott, Ward
Three-term regional councillor Peter Scott is pleased to have been re-elected to represent South Canterbury on Environment Canterbury alongside fellow incumbent Nick Ward. Scott was one of three choices for South Canterbury voters, running alongside...
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Lack of support for Timaru CBD prompts retailer to pen song
A Timaru business owner concerned by proposed planning changes to a big-box development on the edge of town has created a music video to air his frustrations. Amore Food Shop and Cafe owner Aaron More said he was speaking on behalf of a group of...
Read Full Story (Page 1)Lack of support for Timaru CBD prompts retailer to pen song
A Timaru business owner concerned by proposed planning changes to a big-box development on the edge of town has created a music video to air his frustrations. Amore Food Shop and Cafe owner Aaron More said he was speaking on behalf of a group of...
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Artists in cahoots for new exhibition
Artists Christeena MacDonald-Paea and Vanessa Harper have joined forces and for the next three weeks their work will take over the walls of a Timaru gallery. In Cahoots opens at the Red Bird Gallery on Friday evening and features work by the two South...
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Shearers prepare for ‘very intense’ contest
Some of New Zealand’s best shearers are expected to descend on Waimate this weekend for the Waimate Shears NZ Spring Shearing Championship. Waimate Spring Shears president Warren White said the competition’s 58th edition had attracted around 200...
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Progress continues on subdivisions
Progress is continuing on several major subdivisions across South Canterbury, with the developers saying it is important the region continues to grow and attract residents. Last week, Rangitata MP James Meager issued a firmly worded message calling on...
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A peek into the past
The history of a Mackenzie District town, originally built to be temporary accommodation, has been preserved in a new display providing a peek into life in the 1960s and 1970s. Twizel Heritage Group convener Rick Ramsay said the 1970s “reg 130” house...
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Timaru granted special race day for Phar Lap’s 100th birthday
The 100th birthday of the legendary racehorse Phar Lap is to be celebrated with a special race day in Timaru. Ahead of the South Canterbury Racing Club race meeting on Sunday that marks Phar Lap’s 99th birthday, the club confirmed that New Zealand...
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Man shot out of tree, beaten to death: Crown
A South Canterbury man who disappeared in 2021 was lured to a reserve and shot out of a tree before being hit with a blunt object, a murder trial has heard. It is alleged Anaru Moana was murdered as part of a vengeful attack near Waimate on the...
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Family awaits funding news for little Indie’s fight against rare brain tumour
In her short life, Indie Todd has already undergone major surgery to remove a rare brain tumour that occupied 40% of her head. Now, as the 3-year-old Timaru girl goes through her fifth round of chemotherapy, her family are waiting for final...
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Flying McKnights dominate NZ’s ATV scene
Inspired by their father, two brothers from Timaru are making their mark on New Zealand’s ATV racing scene, and they haven’t even reached double-digits yet. The McKnight brothers, Jaxson, 5, and Ayson, 7, both recently bagged national titles in their...
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156-year-old society turns over new leaf
With a new committee picking up the tools, the Timaru Horticultural Society is about to turn over a new leaf. The society’s Spring Show will be held over one day, and daffodils will be among the stars of the event. Now in its 156th year, the society...
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