Southern Scenic Route

17/09/2026

🚨 Southland’s possum population appears to be growing at an alarming rate. 🐀 A record number of possums has been detected in Southland, raising serious doubts about whether the current landowner-led control system is working.

📈 Across 16 monitored Possum Control Areas, the average residual trap catch reached 8.3%, well above the 5% target. One long-established area recorded an alarming 32.7% - the highest result ever recorded.

🗺️ Council staff reported major increases around Hokonui, with worrying possum numbers also found to the north, west and east, including Tokonui.

🌳 Possums cause extensive damage to native forests, compete with native wildlife and prey on eggs and chicks. If possums and other introduced pests are increasing together, the pressure on Southland’s biodiversity could intensify rapidly.

⚠️ Environment Southland acknowledged that controlling possums may now be beyond what landowners can reasonably achieve alone. Only about a quarter of Southland’s 65 control areas - covering more than 420,000 hectares - are monitored each year.

🔍 The council is reviewing the programme, with possible changes expected to be considered within two months. The record results suggest stronger, better-coordinated pest control may be urgently needed.

A record high number of possums have been caught in a Southland possum control area, as concerns mount over a council system for tackling the pests.

17/09/2026

🥾 South Invercargill’s 4.5km Heritage Trail has welcomed the eighth of nine information panels. 📍 The newest panel is at the intersection of Bluff Road and William Street, overlooking the Pleasure Bay lagoon and Estuary Walkway.

🌿 It shares the area’s environmental and cultural history, including traditional mahinga kai food gathering and the estuary’s former role as an important travel route.

🏘️ The trail has been developed since 2022 in response to South City residents asking for a way to celebrate their local heritage. It aims to encourage people to explore South Invercargill, learn about its past and reconnect with the estuary.

🔜 The final panel will be installed on the Southern Greenway at Selwyn Street.

A sign of former times

17/09/2026

Our September newsletter is hot off the press!
Read here: https://mailchi.mp/3ad87bf65b3d/south-alive-14191128

17/09/2026

14/09/2026

✈️ Invercargill Airport saw a 2.6% drop in visitor numbers, while Queenstown grew 8.9% and Dunedin 1.2%. Could some tourists simply be unaware they can fly into Invercargill to explore Southland? An awareness gap is a possibility, although the report doesn’t identify the cause.

💰 International visitor spending in Southland rose 24.4% in April–June compared with last year, helping offset weaker domestic tourism.

🌏 International visitors are exploring beyond Fiordland, spreading tourism benefits more widely across the region.

📈 Total regional visitor spending reached $644.5 million over 12 months, up 6.1%.

🏔️ Milford Sound welcomed 174,367 visitors during the quarter - up 15%, while Stewart Island and Riverton recorded declines.

🛏️ Accommodation occupancy increased, supported by regional development projects and longer stays.

International tourism spending and demand for accommodation have offset a slight slump in domestic tourism for Southland.

14/09/2026

🛒 Invercargill’s new Yogiji’s Food Mart is bringing some welcome grocery price relief. 🥕 Price examples reported in the article: • Carrots: 79c/kg - compared with $1.99 and more elsewhere.
• Kūmara: $2.99/kg - compared with $6.99 at Pak’nSave.
• Oranges: $2.99/kg - compared with $3.99 elsewhere.
• 30 eggs: $10.99 - although The Warehouse had size 5 eggs cheaper at $9.99.
💚 Owner Chirag Kantharia says fruit and vegetables are essentials, so he keeps margins low to make them affordable, earning more from other products.
🚚 Part of a nine-store franchise, Yogiji’s combines its own imported grocery supply chain with close relationships with local produce suppliers.

Yogiji’s Food Mart owner Chirag Kantharia aims to undercut the supermarket giants as Southlanders face a growing cost of living crisis.

13/09/2026

🚡 Whoosh is backed by major Queenstown businesses - people who deal with the town’s transport problems every day. Their proposal is far more grounded in local needs than the outdated gondola approach favoured by central government.

NZSki, Skyline, Queenstown Airport, Technology Queenstown, Queenstown Resort College and Remarkables Park are working together to investigate the proposed “Uber in the sky”.

📍 At least 50 stations, roughly 500m apart, with small electric cabins offering direct journeys without transfers - designed to make leaving the car at home practical.

✅ Backers say their initial study identified a straightforward consenting pathway through local planning processes, without fast-track legislation.

🏗️ A three-station demonstration system at Remarkables Park already has resource consent, with construction expected next year. Funding arrangements remain undisclosed.

🧪 A full-sized cabin has started running on the Christchurch Airport test system, with the first passenger ride targeted before Christmas.

💬 Wellington should listen to the businesses who understand local needs. An ambitious, connected transport network deserves serious consideration over an outdated gondola concept. Whoosh still needs to prove itself, but this local backing deserves attention.

Whoosh backers see pathway for Queenstown network

11/09/2026

🏆🌿 Garston Hops takes top export honours! The world’s southernmost commercial hop grower won the Innovation in Export Award at the Southland Chamber Export Awards Gala. 🍺 The family-owned business supplies breweries across Australia, North America, the UK and Europe, with judges praising its innovative direct-to-brewery model and customer-focused approach. A fantastic achievement for Garston! 👏

Other Southland winners included:

🌏 Olive, Lady Hutchins - recognised for her contribution to tourism through the business now known as RealNZ, and a lifelong commitment to conservation.

🍸 Rakiura Distilling Co - the Third Island Gin producer received export mentorship support to help prepare for international markets.

🚤 Huntercraft - awarded a grant to expand production capacity and meet growing overseas demand.

Gin, hops and boats win big at awards

03/09/2026

🏔️ More than 80 earthquakes and aftershocks have been recorded near Milford Sound, including two shallow magnitude 5.5 and 5.6 quakes felt by almost 7,000 people. 📍 Seismologists say they were linked to the Hollyford fault system - not the Alpine Fault - and have not significantly changed the risk of a major Alpine Fault earthquake.

⚠️ Southland Mayor Rob Scott called the quakes a wake-up call. Milford Sound hosts up to 3,500 visitors a day, but the small Southland District Council cannot fund emergency planning alone.
🇳🇿 He says Milford is a national treasure, so central government must help prepare and fund a response - because any major disaster there would be a national disaster.

A string of earthquakes rumbling the Southern Alps north of Milford Sound are not due to the Alpine Fault, a seismologist says.

03/09/2026

🌧️💨 A wild and unusually stormy spring is forecast for Southland. ⛈ A rapidly strengthening El Niño - potentially one of the strongest in recent history - is expected to bring:

🌡️ Even greater temperature swings than usual, with sudden changes between warm and cold
🥶 Occasional cold outbreaks, despite near-average seasonal temperatures
💨 Spells of unusually strong winds and more active westerlies
⛈️ More frequent stormy periods, especially during mid-to-late spring
🌧️ Above-normal rainfall, with heavy rain systems arriving from the Tasman Sea or Southern Ocean
🌊 Higher-than-normal river flows and soil moisture

While changeable weather is normal in spring, these conditions are expected to be considerably more pronounced in Southland during 2026.

Strong winds and heavy rain: El Niño to bring wild weather to the South