Poll: Should The Southerner passenger rail service be reinstated?
The Southerner passenger train will be resurrected if The Opportunities Party (TOP) wins a seat at the general election, its leader says.
TOP’s transport policy, released on Wednesday, pledges support for a five year trial of The Southerner, the passenger rail service between Christchurch and Invercargill which ended in 2002.
TOP leader and Ilam candidate Raf Manji said the trial would operate between Christchurch and Dunedin, stopping in towns like Timaru and Ashburton along the way.
Depending on demand, it could operate five to seven days a week and do two or three return journeys a day. TOP has estimated the cost at $100 million, based on the costings of the Hamilton to Auckland train service, Te Huia.
What do you think? Should the service be reinstated? Read reporter Sinead Gill's full story here (subscription required) and let us know what you think in the comments below.
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85.9% Yes
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10.7% No
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3.4% I'm not sure/something else (tell us in the comments)
🧩😏 Riddle me this, Neighbours…
I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I?
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Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Poll: Canterbury is thriving on paper... but are you seeing evidence of Canterbury's improving economy?
As reported in the Press, Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman recently gave a shout-out to our region, calling Canterbury a "stand-out" for how we recover from tough times. With tech firms growing and exporters investing, the business side of things is looking bright!
👉 But we know that "business growth" doesn't always mean the weekly shop gets any cheaper. While the city expands, many families feel like they’re just trying to keep their heads above water.
We want to know: With the business buzz of 2026, do you feel like things are finally looking up for your household, or does it still feel like a climb?
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21.6% Yes
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56.8% No
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21.6% In some areas ...
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