Otago

The police believe the man pictured may be able to help with enquires into an assault on Ballarat Street.

Police have not found any sign of anyone in distress.

Lawson's pit-stop from the racing circuit to drive laps in Cromwell drew thousands of motorsport enthusiasts and drive to survive fans to the circuit on Tuesday.

The Formula 1 star will drive a V12 Aston Martin Vulcan as part of a fundraiser at Highlands Motor Park.

Police, paramedics and volunteers are concerned about the number of unsupervised young people who arrive with alcohol.

Number of known cases since the response began now at 32, with four still infectious.

Two other contractors were also sentenced for contributing to the slip that inundated a residential street, forcing dozens of evacuations. Audio

Emergency services are responding to a crash on Dunedin's Southern Motorway, which has blocked the northbound lanes.

There are reports of flooding in Timaru, while Dunedin was pelted with hail as severe thunderstorms swept across Otago on Thursday.

The driver admitted they were distracted because they were changing music on their cellphone.

MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Fiordland, with up to 150mm of rain and thunderstorms predicted.

Some regions of Te Waipounamu are warned to expect gale northwesterlies gusting up to 120km/h, while others should expect to be lashed by downpours.

About 20 firefighters are tackling a house fire in central Queenstown on Saturday morning.

Andrew Mercer was driving erratically and aggressively when he swung onto a road and his partner jumped off the trailer.

The owner of three Dunedin cafes plans to shut down two over the holiday period, saying it's not financially worth it to stay open. Audio

The Dunedin South stores was closed for almost three weeks to eliminate the pests.

An Otago man has lost everything after his uninsured container home was destroyed by fire.