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Otago, in the south of New Zealand's South Island, is the second largest region in terms of land area. It has a population of 190 600 (2002 census). The city of Dunedin on the east coast is the regional centre.
OTAGO — A repository for information about natural hazards in Otago is now online.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is warning people to be wary of the possible presence of toxic algae in rivers and lakes throughout the Otago region this summer.
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OTAGO — A ten month Otago Regional Council (ORC) study of water quality in the Kakanui catchment has revealed that water quality parameters have deteriorated in recent years, with many waterways exceeding nationally recognised guidelines for nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorous) and E.Coli (bacteria).
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OTAGO — A new chapter has begun in the relationship between Ngai Tahu in Otago and local authorities in the region.
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OTAGO — The next stage of work in the Leith flood protection scheme will begin in the next few days, after Otago regional councillors let a construction contract to Lund South Limited.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is seeking public comment on whether it should invest about $3.5 million to help develop a proposed irrigation scheme for the Tarras district.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is reminding ratepayers that penalty deadlines for non-payment of rates have changed.
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OTAGO — Otago local authorities are ready for New Zealand Shakeout, the nationwide earthquake simulation drill which will take place this Wednesday (September 26) at 9.26am.
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OTAGO — Time is running out for those who want to have their say on the future of Otago’s public transport system.
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OTAGO — More than 700 Otago households received assistance from the Otago Regional Council’s Clean Heat Clean Air programme during 2011-12 through subsidised replacement of non-complying heating appliances and home insulation.
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OTAGO — Many Otago people are likely to miss the first deadline for complying with new Government regulations dealing with measurement and reporting of water takes, and may face enforcement action for failing to do so.
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OTAGO — Otago Regional Council (ORC) staff are keen to hear from anyone in the region who have seen rooks.
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OTAGO — Otago Regional Council (ORC) chairman Stephen Woodhead announced today that Peter Bodeker has been appointed as the new council chief executive, replacing Graeme Martin, who is retiring.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) adopted the Flood Protection Management Bylaw 2012 on 8 August 2012.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has released its new draft Regional Public Transport Plan (RPTP) for public comment.
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OTAGO — ORC rainfall sites in the Otago region have recorded between 50mm and 200 mm over the past three days.
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OTAGO — A potential flood risk still exists in coastal Otago as persistent heavy rain continues to affect the area from the Taieri Plain to the Waitaki River.
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OTAGO — A potential flood risk still exists in coastal Otago due to persistent heavy rain.
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OTAGO — The Queenstown bus service is moving towards becoming fully commercialised, having been subsidised by the Otago Regional Council (ORC) for the past two years.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) advises North Otago residents to be prepared for possible heavy overnight rain.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Land Transport Programme (RLTP) for 2012-2015 has been completed and will now go to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) for consideration.
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OTAGO — Michael Skerrett has been appointed to the Otago Regional Council’s natural resources committee.
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OTAGO — An Otago Regional Council (ORC) hydrologist has developed a world-leading, innovative method of measuring high river flows during a flood, using a modified kayak.
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OTAGO — Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead says a drop in the number of Otago dairy farms being prosecuted for breaches of permitted activity rules reflects greater awareness of ORC’s enforcement regime.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is seeking public input on its new flood protection bylaw.
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OTAGO — Long-serving Otago Regional Council (ORC) chief executive Graeme Martin is to retire on November 2, subject to the availability of his successor.
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OTAGO — Consent holders for rural water takes in the Otago region are being urged not to leave compliance with new Government water measuring regulations to the last minute.
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OTAGO — Now that proposed Plan Change 6A to the Otago Water Plan has been publicly notified, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) has started preliminary work on related plan changes, which includes addressing discharges from urban stormwater systems.
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MILTON — Milton residents are being encouraged to get involved in a community process aimed at better managing the area’s flood risk.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is hosting two meetings to update Mosgiel and Taieri Plain residents about proposed works on the Taieri flood protection and drainage schemes.
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Otago Regional Council's Regional Transport Committee is calling for submissions on the draft Otago Regional Land Transport Programme (RLTP) 2012-15.
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A proposed new policy which aims to maintain water quality where it is good and improve it where it has deteriorated in Otago's rivers, streams, and lakes, was notified on Saturday (March 31).
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Contractor Hall Brothers has completed the remaining flood hazard reduction work in Dunedin's Water of Leith between Cumberland Street and Dundas Street.
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The Otago Regional Council has appointed Mr Paul Rea as a Director of Port Otago Limited.
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OTAGO — Palmerston is to become part of the Otago Regional Council’s continuous programme of air quality monitoring, after an ORC study found that parts of the town are prone to pollution from smoke and soot during winter.
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COROMANDEL — Contact Energy and Otago Regional Council (ORC) staff will put their marine pollution response capability to the test near Cromwell on Monday (19 March) with an exercise simulating an oil spill into Lake Dunstan.
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DUNEDIN — The Otago Regional Council (ORC), in conjunction with the Dunedin City Council (DCC), is managing the installation of new insulation and clean heating appliances in 100 Dunedin homes.
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OTAGO — <p>Metservice has lifted its heavy rain warning for Otago.
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OTAGO — Rainfall has been widespread over Otago with most of the region receiving 30mm to 85mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
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CARDRONA — The latest in a series of catchment meetings to help determine a minimum flow for the Cardrona River and level for the Cardrona Aquifer is being held in Wanaka next week.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has taken several steps today to address staff accommodation issues at its head office in Stafford Street, Dunedin.
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OTAGO — Fonterra Co-operative Group’s increased emphasis on improving water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams has been welcomed by the Otago Regional Council (ORC).
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is keen to receive new applications for its Clean Heat Clean Air programme.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council is disappointed that a newly-published guide to the implementation of the government’s National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPS) does not clearly reflect the intentions of the Statement itself.
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OTAGO — Two possible minimum flow options for the Lindis River and its surrounding groundwater will be presented at a meeting at Tarras on Wednesday November 30.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is holding a series of 17 community meetings throughout the region to consult people on planned changes to the Otago Water Plan.
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OTAGO — Otago farmers are being urged to get in now if they want to contribute to discussions about the future of water management in the region.
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ALEXANDRA — Officials from the Government's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) will visit Alexandra this month to congratulate Clean Heat Clean Air programme funders on the success of the programme Otago Regional Council (ORC) group manager regional services Jeff Donaldson says ORC has managed the programme since 2005.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is looking back on a decade of helping resource consent holders dramatically improve the quality of their wastewater discharges.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is to update farmers on proposed changes to the Otago Water Plan at a series of upcoming water quality forums.
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OTAGO — Otago/Southland farmers and horticulturalists have until the end of next week to take part in a programme to get rid of their unwanted agrichemicals.
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Farmers having to dispose of milk because of weather-related difficulties limiting collection are being reminded of Otago Regional Council (ORC) rules which require it to be disposed of responsibly.
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OTAGO — Dunedin industries and institutions are responding positively to an Otago Regional Council (ORC) requirement to reduce air pollution by converting to more environmentally-friendly boilers.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) will maintain its stringent enforcement regime in relation to effluent breaches on dairy farms, despite improvements in some grades of compliance during 2010-2011.
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OTAGO — Otago water users will have opportunities next week to become more familiar with the rules around water measuring, and see the latest metering technology.
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OTAGO — Otago Regional Council (ORC) chairman Stephen Woodhead says the council is disappointed at the New Zealand Transport Agency’s refusal to include the Dunedin-Invercargill highway in the national strategic roading network.
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OTAGO — Construction of training and revetment banks for the Shotover River delta has begun, extending from the existing oxidation ponds and out about 700m from the edge of the delta, where the Shotover meets the Kawarau River.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is urging landowners in the Otago region to minimise the risk of leachate discharges from silage pits contaminating waterways.
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DUNEDIN — A new bus timetable arrives in Dunedin letterboxes from Wednesday (July 6).
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is inviting submissions on proposed Plan Change 2 to the Otago Water Plan, which seeks to better protect Otago’s significant wetlands.
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OWAKA — A new Otago Regional Council (ORC) catchment programme in the Owaka area has gotten off to a great start with about 40 farmers attending an inaugural field day on Tuesday (June 28).
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OAMARU — Effective nutrient and effluent management is particularly important at this time of the year, especially when wetter weather increases the risk of contaminants getting into waterways.
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DUNEDIN — A new rating system covering flood protection and drainage schemes on the Taieri Plain is for the most part much fairer than its predecessor, Otago Regional Council (ORC) chairman Stephen Woodhead says.
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OAMARU — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is supporting a field day at Waianakarua on Sunday (June 26) where the Herbert Heritage Society will be planting native trees.
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OTAGO — Fulton Hogan has won the contract to seal the remaining two unsealed portions of Conroys Road in Earnscleugh.
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OTAGO — Steady rainfall across the Otago region during the last few days has pushed lake levels and some river flows to higher than normal levels.
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OTAGO — A new submersible pump has been commissioned at the West Taieri drainage scheme's Waipori pumping station.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is seeking public feedback on a proposal to ensure remaining regionally significant wetlands are protected.
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OTAGO — Otago Regional Council (ORC) staff came away from a recent water management workshop in Waikouaiti impressed with the strong community interest in the Waikouaiti River and its future.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is concerned at the low level of compliance with water meter installation by the farming community.
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DUNEDIN — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) wants to provide greater certainty for users of Dunedin's passenger transport network with an increased focus on operator compliance.
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OTAGO — The Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) Group is holding an exercise this week based on a simulated snowstorm affecting most of Otago.
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BALCLUTHA — Otago farmers and others interested in rural water quality are being urged to attend the last of a series of major Otago Regional Council (ORC) forums on water quality, to be held in Balclutha later this month.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) says its decision to lower flood control gates on the Taieri Plain in May was appropriate based on the circumstances at the time.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC ) is holding a water quality and wintering field day for farmers in the Waipahi-Wairuna area on Friday 23 July, in association with the Waipahi stock water scheme committee.
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QUEENSTOWN — Queenstown's revitalised bus network swings into operation tomorrow (Wednesday 14 July) with the official launch of new services at the Queenstown kiosk at O'Connells, Camp Street, at 12.30pm.
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OTAGO — Mark your calendar! Tamati Coffey and the Breakfast’s weather show are coming to Ophir and Naseby in July! Each Tuesday, Breakfast’s roving reporter sets out on one of his most challenging missions yet.
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OTAGO — After a successful community workshop, a business survey and community survey, the updated Draft Naseby Community Plan is now available for comment.
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OTAGO — Groundwater levels in the North Otago volcanic aquifer have hit a 10-year peak, because of recent high rainfall.
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OTAGO — Water quality plays a vital role in determining the physical health of waterways, but it is not the only factor, according to Otago Regional Council (ORC) director environmental information and science John Threlfall.
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OTAGO — Last week's flooding may have caused widespread damage and disruption in Otago, but according to data compiled by the Otago Regional Council (ORC), it did not set any new records.
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Meat industry leader and Silver Fern Farms chief executive Keith Cooper has underlined the importance of fresh, clean water to the New Zealand primary sector's international reputation for producing high-quality export products.
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OTAGO — A senior government official has commended the Otago Regional Council's collaborative, effects-based approach to water quality management.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is closely monitoring rainfall and river flows in North Otago, Dunedin, and the Taieri catchment.
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DUNEDIN — Air pollution caused by a spate of uncontrolled burning on the Taieri Plain on 12 May triggered a breach of the National Environmental Standard (NES) for air quality.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is reminding landowners that having an outdoor fire permit for an autumn burnoff does not allow them to burn indiscriminately and without regard for the environment.
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OTAGO — The algal contamination found in the Silver Stream earlier this year, which can cause serious ill-effects in dogs, has declined to very low levels.
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OTAGO — Otago farmers are being urged to attend two major forums on water quality.
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QUEENSTOWN — Lake level at 1000hrs was 311.24 and showing a steady recession.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is keen to see annual Government funding of the SuperGold passenger transport scheme keep pace with inflation and increased demand.
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OTAGO — Forecast rain could see Lake Wakatipu reach levels which will lead to some flooding of low-lying areas of reserve around Queenstown Bay, Kingston and Glenorchy.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council's launch of a rural water quality strategy for the region has been given added momentum by the findings of a major ORC study of the Pomahaka River catchment.
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OTAGO — The effects of more intensive land use and building are important considerations in developing a long-term approach to flood management in the lower Silver Stream catchment near Mosgiel.
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QUEENSTOWN — An Otago Regional Council (ORC) report has warned that the frequency and magnitude of flood hazards in the Glenorchy area remains ever present as a serious risk that must be addressed through practical district planning.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is hosting a waterway management workshop in Waitahuna next week.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) is holding workshops in Tapanui and Clinton next week as part of the process to establish minimum river flow levels on two South Otago rivers.
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OTAGO — The Otago Regional Council (ORC) has released its Draft Annual Plan to the public for consultation.
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OTAGO — A two day hui was recently held on Otakou Marae with leaders of the four Papatipu Runanga of Kai Tahu ki Otago and Councillors of the Otago Regional Council (ORC).
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OTAGO — A proposed new national standard for assessing and managing soil contaminants could prove to be costly and inefficient, and in doing so achieve the opposite of what it set out to do.
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