In the midst of a heatwave in the South, Southland town Mataura has been suffering through a water shortage after a significant drawdown of water from its main water source.

The level at the reservoir reached a low of 45 per cent on Sunday afternoon and a possible leak in the network could be to blame.

Lumsden’s town centre is getting a makeover to address issues which come with high numbers of tourists and freedom campers.

Tourist numbers to the Southland town have exceeded expectations and the Southland District Council has taken steps to enforce its freedom camping rules.

The southern timber sports circuit was held in Southland during the summer holidays, attracting wood-choppers from around the world.

The six-day circuit is the region’s biggest woodchopping event for the year and sees some of the biggest names in timber sports.

Invercargill's hottest day on record was this Sunday, when temperatures soared to 32.3 degrees Celsius.

Southland is in the grips of one of its driest summers on record, and temperatures are expected to stay high for some time.

A Southland man is being hailed a life-saver after putting himself at risk to save three swimmers in early January.

Shane Malloch of Omaui, 20 km southwest of Invercargill, battled rough waters to save three swimmers who were being dragged out to sea.

A Southland family have been left injured and out of pocket after an attack by a dog – and its owner.

The Williams’ family dog was attacked by a pitbull mastiff on a Riverton beach, but when Bruce Williams attempted to stop the attack, he was assaulted by the dog’s owner.