Gore

A school-bus driver charged with assaulting a 12-year-old passenger has been inundated with support after news the case was thrown out of court.

Neville Patterson is retiring in July after 18 years as caretaker of the Gore racecourse.

Shareholders yesterday questioned Silver Fern Farms' co-operative ownership structure, saying farmers who had not supported the company's recent capital-raising were being treated the same as those who had.

Police have named a woman killed in a head-on crash which closed State Highway 1 in Southland today.