John Lewis

A Dunedin 9-year-old has finished runner-up in an international songwriting competition, despite his main rivals being adults.

While a Dunedin welfare support agency has congratulated Labour leader David Cunliffe on his ''Best Start'' education policy, an education specialist says it is ''not a game-changer at this point''.

There was laughter as well as tears at St Leonards School on Saturday as about 500 people attended the ''celebration of the lives of Bradley and Ellen Livingstone''.

An evening out with friends went from bad to worse for a 20-year-old Dunedin man when he was arrested after allegedly assaulting another man in the Octagon, and was then charged with drink-driving when he tried to drive home from the police station.

There appears to be a degree of optimism among 70 Oceana Gold employees, despite learning yesterday they are to lose their jobs at the Macraes gold mine.

Neil Garry is not wasting any time in laying out plans to bring his visions for John McGlashan College to fruition, now that he is officially in the hot seat.

Youngsters have an uncanny ability to jump, or fall, into bitterly cold water and enjoy the experience.

An education leadership specialist at the University of Otago has labelled the Government's latest pupil achievement improvement initiative, ''a winner''.

It can be a terrible dilemma for some pupils.

While Novopay has passed one of its biggest tests, the minister responsible for Novopay, Steven Joyce, concedes there is still a lot more work to be done on the troubled education payroll system.

Recently-retired Tokomairiro High School principal Wayne Edgar was killed in an accident on Tuesday evening, leaving many in the Milton community in shock.

Stressed, relieved, delighted, confused, petrified, even a little green - they were just some of the expressions on teens' faces yesterday as they went online to check their NCEA results.

A health professional is questioning the wisdom of the Southern District Health Board cutting bed numbers last year, as Southland Hospital and Dunedin Hospital near capacity.

Now the pressure is off Stanley Paris over his failed attempt to circumnavigate the planet in 120 days, the 76-year-old has had time to mull over his future, and has not ruled out having another go at the world record.

Concern is growing among Dunedin secondary school principals that the increasing amount of extracurricular activity going on in school time is encroaching on syllabus learning in the classroom.

More than 4600 NCEA exam papers were left unanswered in Otago and Southland schools during the 2013 exam season because pupils failed to turn up.