Southland

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.

A township preparing to evacuate under a state of emergency will not be completely empty when the last car rolls out.

The small hamlet at the mouth of the Waiau River - 10km from Tūātapere in Southland - has been under a state of emergency since 8 February in the wake of ongoing erosion problems.

Nobby Clark says it has been a long road to recovery but he was ready to return to the top job.

The residents of a small Southland settlement affected by erosion have been given until Friday afternoon to evacuate.

A plan to install a raised safety platform at a busy Invercargill intersection has come to a crashing halt following objections from councillors.

The mayor said the extension would allow more time to work on opening the river bar to change the flow away from homes.

The owner pointed out there had been zero increase to the value of their section in that time, and lacks access to key council services.