Supermarket plagued with rats set to close for 48 hours
By reporter Hamish McNeilly:
A Dunedin supermarket that has been plagued with rats is set to close for 48 hours.
Staff and the union of Countdown Dunedin South store were told on Friday afternoon.
Woolworths New Zealand, which operates the store, confirmed the recent capture of four more rodents has forced the store to close.
Woolworths New Zealand director of stores Jason Stockill said: "Our local community will be aware that we’ve been working to address a rodent issue at Countdown Dunedin South for the last couple of months."
Food safety was the company’s “absolute priority”, with the supermarket giant working closely with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), and pest control contractor Rentokil.
“We believed we had addressed the issue, as there had been no evidence of rodent activity since January 28.
Unfortunately we have caught four rodents over the last few days so it is clear we have more work to do.”
NZ Food Safety and Rentokil confirmed the rodents were not nesting in the store, but appeared to be coming in from outside.
The Dunedin City Council was also involved in surveying neighbouring areas, in what the supermarket chain called “a coordinated response”.
“Having a safe and hygienic store is incredibly important to us and we would like to apologise to our customers for any distress and inconvenience this update causes,” Stockill said.
“We will reopen when we are confident these additional measures have been implemented. We anticipate this will be on Monday morning.”
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
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53.3% Yes
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46.7% No
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
🚒 Our Fire and Emergency crews have been kept busy lately
And they’re once again reminding everyone: please don’t light fires when it’s windy.
Central Otago will move into a restricted fire season from 1 December 2025, which means anyone planning an outdoor fire will need to apply for a permit and plan ahead.
So we’d love to ask you — how do you make sure you’re being fire-safe at this time of year?
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