Otago

One swimmer in Lake Wakatipu with cryptosporidium could have caused the disease outbreak in Queenstown, says a medical officer.

A Queenstown ski shop owner says residents are bewildered as to how a ski boot dryer led to the evacuation of the airport on Friday.

Skyline Gondola believes debris from its worksite contributed to flooding on Reavers Lane last month, Queenstown Lakes District Council says.

A student leader says hazing rituals that involve live ducks and eels are "completely unacceptable". Audio

Farmers and growers across parts of the lower South Island hit by last month's storm are being urged to reach out for help if they need it.

Thousands of Queenstown residents and tourists may be able to drink from their taps as soon as Thursday.

Queenstown's cryptosporidiosis outbreak may never be known despite extensive testing, Te Whatu Ora Health NZ says.

The source of the infection is yet to be identified, Te Whatu Ora Medical Officer of Health Dr Susan Jack says.

A drug-resistant infection is "a ticking time bomb" in the Pacific - including New Zealand, according to new Otago University research.

The judge denied Rosemary Penwarden's bid for a discharge without conviction, saying it was clear she did not regret her actions. Penwarden's lawyer said she was trying to protest using satire.

The national water regulator is not ruling out legal action against Queenstown Lakes District Council for not having barriers to filter out cryptosporidium. Audio

For the first time, family friends talk about what they believe really happened to John Beckenridge and his stepson, Mike.

The contamination risks for Queenstown's water are not as "extreme" as a plan it gave to the water regulator described them to be.

As Queenstown cleans up from flooding and deals with a cryptosporidium outbreak, the resort town's long-standing accommodation crisis hasn't gone away. Audio

Queenstown hospitality venues are finding creative ways to deal with the boil water notice as tourists stream in for the school holidays.

The Southern Medical Officer of Health says while there are 31 confirmed cases of cryptosporidium, she's sure there are more than what's being reported. Audio

Flood-weary Gisborne and the Eastern Bay of Plenty are next in line for heavy rain - after the lower South Island was battered last week.

There is concern that a bridge on the Haast Pass may have been damaged after thousands of cubic metres of debris from a slip washed onto it.

Queenstown residents are being warned that the cemetery grounds will have to drain before the flood-damaged site can reopen.

Te Whatu Ora is looking wider than Queenstown's town water supply, as it hunts for the source of the town's cryptosporidium outbreak.