Southland

One of the workers raised the alarm with MBIE.

Mayor Nobby Clark told RNZ it made no difference if someone was 11 or 12 years of age when it came to justice for "adult crimes".

Vehicle theft, break-ins, assaults, and death and rape threats are among the rising youth crime in the southern city, Nobby Clark says.

Council estimated it would take it would take 80 to 100 hours to pick up but the community came to help.

It took eight months to capture the critter, documents show.

The behaviour forced the library to shorten its hours and roster staff on in pairs.

The condition of a main arterial route out of Bluff has been described as "embarrassing" by a local councillor, who wants action.

Southland's mayor says the Bluecliffs community that is under threat from rapid erosion is facing hard decisions that do not have a cheap or quick fix.

Disability funding changes have made people feel worthless and bullied by the government, a Christchurch father of four says.

Invercargill After Hours Doctors has closed its doors, citing a lack of funding and growing daytime workloads.

Four weeks of intensive surveillance and monitoring failed to uncover any more rats.

A Southland library has been forced to close earlier in the day, after staff and customers were threatened and verbally abused by teenagers.

One councillor is "disgusted" by Invercargill Mayor Nobby Clark's racially charged language in an interview, while another describes it as a "train wreck".

The Southern Steel have been dealt a huge blow with international shooter George Fisher officially ruled out of a second ANZ Premiership season.

Residents battling severe erosion in Bluecliffs have been applauded for making plans to relocate their houses or shift out of the area entirely.

Rapid erosion from the sea and Waiau River threatened properties in Bluecliffs last month.

Police and fire investigators are looking into a suspicious bushfire near Invercargill.

Last week, the small Southland township was evacuated so an old dumpsite containing hazardous material could be cleared.

Asbestos has been found in a Southland dump that is eroding into the sea.

The state of emergency has been extended until 17 March while work gets underway to remove material from an old dump site - which could contain explosives and asbestos.