An Australian boy had died in hospital a week after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour, in a series of attacks along the country's east coast. Dozens of beaches, including this one in Manly, were closed this week after shark attacks. Photo: ReutersDozens of beaches, including in Sydney, were closed this week after four shark attacks in two days, as heavy rains left waters murky and more likely to attract the animals. In September last year, a surfer was killed by a large shark at Sydney's Long Reef beach. Australia averages 20 shark attacks a year, fewer than three of them fatal, according to data from conservation groups.

NZCL has apologised that some aspects of its services "did not meet applicable standards", and it had made numerous changes since Jacob Davies' death. An investigation by the Health and Disability Commission found the death was due to organ failure and sepsis from a perforated bowel, and was "avoidable". NZCL apologised that some aspects of its services "did not meet applicable standards", and it had made numerous changes since Jacob Davies' death. "We just secured agreement in December from the health minister, the Ministry of Health and Health NZ to get on board with actively implementing it. The Ministry for Social Development, which contracts providers to deliver residential services through Disability Support Services (DSS), has signalled plans to increase auditing in future.

Sam Ruthe is now seventh on the list of all-time New Zealand milers, having overtaken the legendary Sir Peter Snell. Photo: Getty ImagesRunning sensation Sam Ruthe has become the fastest 16-year-old to ever run the mile, achieving the feat at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui. Tanner, 25, defended his national men's senior mile title, surging past Ruthe in the home straight to win in 3min 53.36sec. It came a week after Ruthe pipped Tanner in an exciting 800m race at the Potts Classic in Hastings. Ireland's Laura Nicholson ran a smart time of 4min 43.75sec to win the women's mile.

A house in Arrowtown was left with significant damage after a fire set ‘‘the whole roof’’ ablaze, firefighters say. A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said they were called to the property about 11pm on Friday. Two trucks from Arrowtown and Frankton initially responded, but the event then escalated to a second alarm. Crews located what appeared to be a small, active fire contained to the roof space. There would be some significant damage to the house.’’It was extinguished and crews left the scene about 2am on Saturday.

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The slip was discovered overnight. PHOTO: NZTARoad crews will return to the site of a slip that closed State Highway 6 between Lake Hawea and Makarora overnight. A spokesman for the New Zealand Transport Agency said the road was closed for several hours on this morning as crews worked to clear rocks and debris. PHOTO: NZTAFurther work would need to be carried out at the site, planned for Monday morning, the spokesman said. It was likely a lane would be closed and that might mean short delays, stopping on demand and a temporary reduced speed limit.

A high-resolution elevation map of Mauao and the surrounding land at Mount Maunganui, drawn from Land Information New Zealand data, showing landslide features. Two ancient landslides, or paleolandslides, above the campground site are labelled L1 and L2. On the right (B) is a detailed elevation map revealing two ancient landslides (L1 and L2) hidden in the landscape. Many cluster along the coastal cliffs, but two particularly large ancient landslides can be seen directly above the holiday park. The results can then be translated into landslide hazard maps, showing areas of higher and lower risk under different rainfall conditions.

The recovery efforts are continuing at the Mount Maunganui landslide as families and friends of the six missing victims grieve their loved ones. Those still missing include two Pakuranga College students, two 71-year-old friends from Rotorua, a Morrinsville school tutor, and a Swedish tourist. The operation has now switched from rescue to recovery. NZ Herald senior investigative reporter Michael Morrah, who's been in Mount Maunganui, says emergency crews are now moving to what's known as a 'de-layering' exercise. "This is where they are taking tonnes of debris and they are moving it to one side and they are meticulously going through this, looking for human remains."

Photo: RNZAn evaluation of the Victim Assistance Scheme suggests people are getting uneven access to funding based on their appearance. The scheme provides financial support to help victims of serious crime in New Zealand. It is administered by Victim Support. "Together with our partners, we remain committed to continuous improvement to strengthening access to support that help mitigate the impacts of crime." Victim Support said it was working with police and the Ministry of Justice to fix gaps in how victims received help.

Kiwi band Zed (from left) Ben Campbell, Adrian Palmer, Nathan King and Andy Lynch hit Wānaka next week. PHOTO: SUPPLIEDIt has been 26 years since New Zealand band Zed released their biggest hit Renegade Fighter in 2000, which threw them into stardom and helped secure them a record label in their early 20s. Now in their 40s, Ben Campbell, Adrian Palmer, Nathan King and Andy Lynch have gone back to the studio after a 15-year hiatus and will accompany Joan Jett and Iggy Pop at this month’s Summer Concert in Wanaka. Band lead Nathan King, 47, said this time around things were a lot easier as there was less riding on their music careers. While there were no internal rifts, bass player Campbell’s father died which hit them all very hard.

If you’re a teenager, or are in charge of one, January can be a nervous time with NCEA results being released. The campaign includes direct flights from the Gold Coast into both Dunedin and Queenstown during autumn and brings together Great South, Tourism Waitaki, Enterprise Dunedin, Clutha Development, Tourism Central Otago, Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism. By joining forces, these organisations are showcasing the very best of the South and delivering real benefits for local communities. A similar campaign is being run for Canterbury and the West Coast with a goal of supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and sharing the benefits of tourism across the South Island. These updates remove the need for a building consent and a resource consent for small stand-alone dwellings up to 70sq m in size.

Community blow-back has led to a pause of big changes to Oamaru’s paid parking. A Waitaki District Council media statement this week said planned changes to the one-hour free parking in the Oamaru CBD and consultation on extending paid parking have been put on hold ahead of the February 17 full meeting of the council. PHOTO: ODT FILESHowever, the mayor and councillors have asked for a pause in the trial change to free parking time. "We’re not ruling out a future change in the one-hour free parking in town, as we try to reduce the ratepayer contribution to the cost of maintaining our carparks." Council chief executive Alex Parmley said the resolution of the previous council directed the council to reduce one-hour free parking to a 15-minute courtesy period and consult on extending metered parking.

While he did indeed, eventually, secure his degree, Mr Radich also loved the social side of studying at Otago. The mechanical skills Mr Radich learned during those years stood him in good stead in later life. Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich. Mr Radich addresses the Dunedin Hospital rally. A true gentleman, fit and still youthful-looking, Mr Radich died on January 4 in Dunedin Hospital, a day after suffering a random cardiac event.

“The lingo out there is ‘no contact’, ‘low contact’, which basically describes how much communication there is. Maybe it’s getting easier now because there’s more conversation about [estrangement], but a lot of people don’t understand. “And the same with the child too – maybe they’re not listening. Maybe they’re wrangling with that same issue that their parents are themselves. “It is really, really hard.

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