The South Island emergency medical dispatcher spoke to the Otago Daily Times amid a rise in hostility aimed at emergency services this summer. Hato Hone St John Southland and Otago District operations manager David Milne said the rise in abuse came as people had been "overindulging" in the holiday period and abusing staff. "It can be quite disheartening and quite deflating really, when all you want to do is help people." Mr Milne said the number of reported incidents of abuse had been increasing. Last year, there were eight physical assaults on frontline staff, two sexual harassment incidents and eight verbal abuse incidents,but abuse incidents were often under-reported, so there were likely more that had happened, Mr Milne said.

Stephen Chase said he could only count to ten in Spanish before surgery. US dad suddenly fluent in Spanish after waking from surgeryStephen Chase said he could only count to ten in Spanish before surgery. An American father was stunned to discover he could suddenly speak fluent Spanish after waking from surgery. The Utah resident, now 33, said he was shocked to find himself speaking Spanish, given he previously knew only a few phrases and could count to ten. “I don’t really recollect speaking Spanish, just people asking me to speak English and being really confused.

There were many people in vessels 6 metres or less who needed to wear lifejackets, not just carry them, he said. Despite high winds and big swells, some boaties still ventured out, including two catamarans that overturned in separate incidents, Lyle said. The other catamaran, a larger vessel, nearly sank after hitting a rock - again likely due to poor navigation, Lyle said. Small vessels obstructing large ships — a breach of navigation safety bylaws — is also becoming common, Lyle said. Large vessels look slow, but their speed is deceptive,” he said.

SuperValu is cutting prices on items shoppers buy most, from fresh fruit, veg, dairy and meat to nappies, pet food, firelighters, tea, coffee, orange juice, parma ham, soups, bin bags, biscuits and more. Source: thisismoney.co.ukHurom launches 'Gwachaeroom' brand, showcasing fresh fruits and vegetablesHurom announced the launch of its new brand 'Gwachaeroom', which curates and selects premium fruits and vegetables. At the newly opened Gwachaeroom Naver Smart Store, customers can purchase the Enzyme Juice Kit and fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables. Through the launch of the Gwachaeroom brand, we hope customers will experience a diverse range of healthy foods made with fruits and vegetables". While Londoners found bananas most appealing, in every other region in the UK milk was the number one item that Clubcard members put in their shopping baskets".

Letters have been stolen from signage at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park. Photo: SuppliedThe Ministry for Culture and Heritage is "bitterly disappointed" after discovering vandalism at the national war memorial park. It said metal signage including individual letter and full text phrases have been removed from Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington. The signs had been a gift from France to New Zealand representing the friendship forged between the two countries following World War 1. There was also damage and letters taken from the French Memorial.

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Photo: SuppliedA problem with a Bluebridge ferry has left passengers stranded, with some spending the night berthed in Wellington harbour. One passenger told RNZ they had to cancel their trip to the South Island as a result of the disruption. Others were reasonably relaxed and told RNZ the ferry company had given them places to sleep and food and drink. 'Boring' night on vesselPetra Clarke told RNZ it had been a "long and boring" night onboard. StraitNZ Bluebridge later clarified the problem identified ahead of sailing was separate from the issue with the ramp.

“The previous decision does not align with the policy intent to reduce costs to patients,” the Cabinet paper in Health Minister Simeon Brown’s name said. “I consider that, to achieve this policy intent, the additional co-payment every three months needs to be removed.”The paper says the co-payment is a financial barrier, with about 191,000 adults in 2023/24 not filling a prescription because of the cost. Other details under subheadings about how the decision would also reduce complexity for Health NZ and curb financial implications for both Health NZ and Pharmac were largely redacted. Simeon Brown has reversed repeat prescription fees in a $5 co-payment shift. “Patients will only be required to pay the $5 co-payment once when collecting their initial three-month supply.

“There’s nothing like an orca in your face to get the heart pumping!” she said. “Regardless, we do strongly discourage people from reaching out or attempting to touch wild animals like orca,” he said. Diver Jordy Bardin had an "insane interaction" with this orca which swam up to her boat off the Mercury Islands. Under New Zealand law, it is illegal to touch or intentionally disturb orca or any other marine mammal. “Keep marine mammals and their young safe by following the right rules for the environment and species,” van Helden said.

The national average temperature was 13.51°C, which was 0.77°C above the long-term average. Cromwell recorded 399mm and Oamaru recorded 414mm. In average mean temperature, Oamaru recorded 11.7°C, which was 0.7°C above average, the third-highest on record. In the mean maximum temperature, Oamaru recorded its second-highest with 16°C, the second highest, while Dunedin had 14°C, the fourth-highest recorded. On April 4 and November 26, Dunedin recorded 29.5°C and 31.7°C respectively which were records for those months.

Police have begun a homicide investigation after a 10-month-old baby boy died in Auckland. Homicide investigation after baby’s death in AucklandPolice have begun a homicide investigation after a 10-month-old baby boy died in Auckland. Photo / NZMEPolice have opened a homicide investigation after a baby boy died in Auckland. The 10-week-old baby was taken to Pukekohe Maternity Hospital in a critical condition on January 2, where staff alerted police, Detective Inspector Karen Bright said. The baby was taken to Starship children’s hospital in Auckland, where it was found he had “non-survivable” injuries.

Photo: ODT FilesTwo Dunedin men attempting a classic switcheroo by quickly swapping seats while approaching a drink driving checkpoint failed to bamboozle police. However, officers saw the attempted swap and elected to have both men undergo breath testing procedures. The original driver recorded a breath alcohol level of 827mcg - the legal limit is 250mcg. Lights and sirens were activated, however the man sped off down Cavell St, and was last seen heading north in Tomahawk Rd. He underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath alcohol level of 383mcg.

Police are seeking information on the whereabouts of David John Te’o. Photo: NZ PolicePolice are seeking information on another wanted man most recently believed to be in Dunedin. Police this afternoon said they were looking for David John Te’o, 38, who has a warrant for his arrest. It comes a day after a citywide manhunt for another wanted man, involving armed officers and road spikes. Police have appealed for information on the whereabouts of Caleb Lynn, wanted over aggravated robbery and other alleged offences.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) said the strike action significantly delayed the response. Fenz said a standard response time would have been seven minutes, but because of the strike, crews took about 30 minutes to arrive. Witness Tyrone Burne said strong winds fuelled “large, dark orange flames”, and smoke could be smelled across a wide area, as quoted by Stuff. “The nearest career station is Mount Wellington, and they would have arrived on scene within seven minutes,” as quoted by Stuff. Stiffler said Fenz had urged the union to cancel the strike, adding that Friday’s incident reinforced its concerns.

Photo / SuppliedThe original post also drew a police warning against using social media as a platform to seek justice, saying it was unhelpful and risky, could compromise investigations and be harmful to individuals. The Herald spoke to a member of the family, who said they were deeply traumatised by the crash. With the family maintaining a bedside vigil, the accident toll was physical, emotional and financial, he said. Police confirmed to the Herald the offending driver returned a zero blood-alcohol reading. Photo / GivealittleThe donations were to cover lost income, hospital travel and parking, household bills and groceries, unused airline tickets, and help replace the family car.