Otago Daily Times Quiz: Your Guide to New Zealand’s Local Trivia

If you live anywhere near Dunedin — or just love testing what you know about New Zealand — the Otago Daily Times quiz is a small, regular pleasure. Published every day under the newspaper’s Entertainment section, it mixes local trivia with general knowledge in a way that rewards both long-time residents and curious outsiders. This guide walks you through the quiz’s format, schedule, and history, plus a few tips to sharpen your answers.

Frequency: Daily (observed June 2026) ·
Focus: Local and general knowledge ·
Publisher: Otago Daily Times ·
Owner: Allied Press ·
Editor: Grant Miller

Six key facts about the ODT quiz, pulled together from the newspaper’s own site and public records.

What is the Otago Daily Times quiz?

The ODT quiz is a daily trivia feature published under the Entertainment section of the Otago Daily Times website. Each entry challenges readers with questions that blend local Otago knowledge with general New Zealand and world facts, promoted directly from the newspaper’s home page.

What is the Otago Daily Times known for?

The ODT quiz tradition

• The Otago Daily Times is a daily newspaper based in Dunedin, New Zealand (Wikipedia Otago Daily Times entry).
• Its quiz feature has become a popular recurring segment, promoted from the home page and updated with new questions each day (Otago Daily Times home page).

The paper’s editorial team treats the quiz as a content staple — it appears under the Entertainment vertical and is linked in “Related Stories” modules, creating a connected archive (Otago Daily Times quiz entry June 10).

Local and general knowledge focus

Every quiz entry is introduced with the line: “Test your local and general knowledge” (Otago Daily Times quiz entry June 10). That dual focus sets it apart from purely national trivia games: questions often lean on Otago-specific landmarks, history, and personalities while also pulling in broader New Zealand and world facts.

The implication: regular readers build a mental map of their region alongside staying informed about current events.

Who is the editor of the Otago Daily Times?

Editor’s role in quiz content

The editor oversees all newspaper content, including the quiz feature. While quiz questions are likely compiled by a dedicated editorial team, the editor ultimately approves the publication schedule and tone (Wikipedia Otago Daily Times entry).

Current editor: Grant Miller

Grant Miller has been the editor of the Otago Daily Times for several years (Wikipedia Otago Daily Times entry). Under his leadership, the newspaper has maintained its digital presence, including the quiz, which is posted with timestamped entries — one quiz page, for 23 June 2026, was published at 03:14:36, suggesting an overnight or early‑morning release window (Otago Daily Times quiz June 23).

The pattern: the overnight release signals a production schedule built around morning print deadlines rather than live web traffic.

What are the different types of quizzes?

Where the ODT quiz fits in

Quizzes can be classified by format, purpose, and subject. The ODT quiz is a hybrid: it’s a daily trivia quiz with a strong local‑knowledge component, sitting somewhere between a current‑events quiz and a puzzle quiz. Unlike long‑form contest quizzes, ODT’s daily entries are short, informal, and designed for quick completion.

Common quiz formats: multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank

• Multiple choice – the ODT quiz uses this format, often with four options.
• True/false – occasional true‑or‑false questions appear.
• Open‑ended – some questions ask for a name or date, typical of local‑knowledge rounds.

Other quiz types found online include personality quizzes, scored assessments, and timed challenges, but the ODT sticks to a straightforward knowledge‑testing model (Otago Daily Times quiz landing page).

The pattern: the ODT quiz is deliberately un‑gimmicky — no leaderboards, no social sharing prompts — which keeps the experience clean and focused on the questions.

What this means: the quiz competes on substance, not gamification, trusting that local loyalty and curiosity bring readers back.

Who owns the Otago Daily Times?

Allied Press ownership

The Otago Daily Times is owned by Allied Press, a New Zealand media company based in Dunedin (Wikipedia Allied Press profile). Allied Press also publishes a number of community newspapers and operates the website that hosts the ODT quiz.

Impact on editorial independence

Ownership by a local, family‑run company rather than a multinational chain means editorial decisions — including what goes into the quiz — stay close to the community. The newspaper’s editorial team operates independently, and there is no evidence that ownership influences quiz content (Wikipedia Otago Daily Times entry).

The implication: readers get a quiz that reflects community identity rather than corporate editorial mandates.

What is the oldest newspaper in New Zealand?

The New Zealand Gazette (1839)

The oldest newspaper in New Zealand is the New Zealand Gazette, first published in 1839 as a government gazette (Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand). It continues today as the country’s official journal.

Where the Otago Daily Times ranks in age

The Otago Daily Times was founded in 1861 (Wikipedia Otago Daily Times entry), making it one of New Zealand’s oldest continuously published daily newspapers. That long heritage gives the quiz a natural authority — readers know the paper has been covering Otago for over 160 years, so its quiz questions carry institutional memory.

What this means: when the ODT quiz asks about a historic Dunedin building or a 19th‑century settler, it’s not just trivia — it’s the newspaper drawing on its own archives.

How to take the ODT quiz

1. Go to the ODT website – open odt.co.nz in any browser.
2. Find the Entertainment section – the quiz lives under “Entertainment” on the navigation bar (Otago Daily Times quiz landing page).
3. Click the latest quiz – the most recent entry appears at the top of the archive list.
4. Read the question(s) and select your answer – each quiz page typically presents one to three questions. Answers may be provided in a separate post or in the comments.
5. Check the answer – sometimes the next day’s quiz includes the previous day’s correct answer, or you can scroll through comments.

For the Game Day Quiz campaign, a new question appears a few days before each Highlanders Super Rugby Pacific game, and readers submit their answers online. Winners receive spot prizes such as match passes, Rugby News subscriptions, and ODT Monopoly board games (Otago Daily Times Game Day Quiz page).

The catch: regular players need to track both the daily rhythm and the campaign calendar to avoid missing limited-time prizes.

Clarity: what’s confirmed and what’s unclear

The trade-off: readers get a consistent daily feature but lack historical context about when or why the quiz started.

What readers and the paper say about the quiz

“Test your local and general knowledge by taking the Otago Daily Times quiz for Sunday, June 28.”

— Otago Daily Times quiz landing page

“A new question will be posted a few days before each Highlanders home or away Super Rugby Pacific game and closed at the end of game day (New Zealand time).”

— Otago Daily Times Game Day Quiz page

“Look for a fresh ODT online quiz every…”

— Otago Daily Times Facebook page

For New Zealand trivia enthusiasts, the ODT quiz is a daily ritual that connects readers to their region’s past and present. The Otago Daily Times keeps the quiz free, local, and daily — a choice that sustains the loyal engagement making it a quiet success.

Related reading: ODT quiz · Game Day Quiz

Frequently asked questions