Ellie Constantine

Restoring sight to a woman who had been blind for 24 years and had never seen her 34 grandchildren is all in a day's work for the team aboard Pacific Link.

"It's nice to get together with friends and doing something a bit weird."

From drab to fab, the transformation of the Forsyth Barr Stadium site wall in Dunedin began this week.

More New Zealanders are switching on and reaping the benefits of energy-efficient light bulbs.

The South added a vocal and passionate plea yesterday to a national protest against changes to ACC's criteria for counselling for sexual abuse victims.

About 50 hospital cleaners, orderlies, kitchen and security staff gathered to vocalise their concerns and draw attention to their battle for a wage increase.

ACC funding cuts to fall prevention programmes have disappointed providers and raised concerns about the wellbeing of the elderly.

Encouraging parents to be active role models for their children has sparked a Sport Otago walking initiative.

Despite mounting outrage, ACC Minister Nick Smith is standing by proposed motorcycle levy increases and encouraging public debate.

Proposed ACC levy increases would be another bureaucratic cost making farming in New Zealand difficult, Taieri dairy farmer Gerald Holmes says.

Fed up with being "on the sharp end of sticks", Dunedin motorcyclist Ray Searls believes ACC needs to put more money into preventing accidents rather than reacting to them.

Pupils from nine of Dunedin's 14 high schools will hang up their school uniforms and replace them with clothing of their choice tomorrow to support the Otago Community Hospice.

Noise, dust and restricted access combined with a lack of communication have "starved" struggling businesses in the Golden Centre Mall's food court, owners say.

After spending six weeks in a "country music person's paradise", Merv Pulham is bursting to return.

Bridging the gap between secondary and tertiary education is a goal of the Dare to Succeed Homework Programme run by the University of Otago Pacific Island Centre.

Stencils will move from the classroom to the playground for many Otago schools as they take part in a Sport Otago initiative to create affordable playground resources.

Spending an extra year in high school is no big deal for Amber Hosking, who will fulfil her dream of living in Germany next year.