John Lewis

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.

An Otago regional councillor has filed a notice of motion to the Otago Regional Council encouraging it to support Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and Shell New Zealand's deep-sea oil drilling explorations off the coast of Otago.

The loss of more than 100 jobs at Macraes open pit as part of a cost-cutting measure by Oceana Gold has been described by community leaders as a devastating body blow. It is understood 106 people will lose their jobs, leaving just 47 to work the open-cast mine.

Christmas Day hasn't even arrived yet, but for the past few days the Stainer family has been celebrating like all its Christmases have come at once.

Former Dunedin man Stanley Paris has been forced to quit his solo circumnavigation attempt, after his yacht's designers expressed grave concerns about a substantial failure of the rigging system.

The $5.6 million two-stage redevelopment of Carisbrook School is on track to be largely completed before school starts on February 3.

No-one was more pleased when the school holidays arrived.

The wait for more information about the scale of Oceana Gold's cutbacks may be damaging local contractors' businesses, a Dunedin business leader says.

A Dunedin careers adviser is encouraging secondary school pupils to visit a new career-finding website before school starts this year in a bid to reduce the number of pupils scratching heads over career options when they leave school.

Thirthy-nine Gough Group employees working at Macraes gold mine are to be laid off next Friday and more job losses could follow at other contracting firms around the region as a result of cost-cutting measures by Oceana Gold.