John Lewis

Despite the Government agreeing to inject $5 million into fixing Novopay, Otago principals say the fact remains that 98% of schools in New Zealand have little or no confidence in the beleaguered payroll system.

Two residents of outback Australia got a shock as they turned in to Dunedin's Bath St on Saturday.

The occupants of a utility vehicle which was crushed ''as flat as a pancake'' after it plunged about 50m down a steep face near Lee Stream are lucky to be alive, Dunedin police say.

There was a point when Andrew Logie and Ed Davies thought, ''This is just ridiculous - why are we doing this?''

The Otago Primary Principals' Association says the Government is to blame for an Education Review Office report which criticises many primary schools around the country for not being flexible enough in the provision of their maths curriculum.

Four tourists who broke into the city's storm-water network on Thursday night could have been killed by a dangerous build-up of hydrogen sulphide gas, and the Dunedin City Council has publicly chastised them for their ''extreme foolishness''.

Gregory Cook has won many awards for medical research during the past two decades, but says the one he received this week at the Otago School of Medical Sciences annual awards ceremony takes the cake.

Lorraine Scott (left) and daughter Jan Scott prepare knitted childrens-wear for sale at the Thieves Alley markets, but for the first time in nearly 30 years, the 78-year-old will not be behind a stall tomorrow.

Dunedin police are considering whether to lay charges after four tourists entered a stormwater drain outside Toitu Otago Settlers Museum last night to explore some of Dunedin's less familiar and subterranean sites.

St Mary's School in Mosgiel was filled with pupils wandering around wide-eyed and scratching their heads yesterday, wondering how their old classrooms could have changed so much.

An international leader in movement and dance believes dance is the key to curing the ailments of both the human body and the planet.

Coming from 30cm of snow in the north of England to the warmer climes of Dunedin has left the Hollies searching for breweries to quench their thirst.

Otago principals say the Government's plan for a ministerial inquiry and technical audit on the beleaguered Novopay payroll system is a step in the right direction, but say it is ''critical'' a deadline for fixing the system is set.

A Dunedin secondary school teacher is crediting her pupils for an international award she won this week.