Stories that are making headlines in the regions today include a heated debate around the safety of certain dog breeds, major changes ahead for Wanganui Hospital's maternity services and accusations that a family of a sick child are using donations to splash out on expensive clothing and golf.
A light-hearted story about a Rottweiler dog giving birth to a massive litter of 16 puppies has readers hot under the collar, with debate focusing on how safe the breed is around children and whether dogs should be kept as pets in urban settings.
A fundraiser by a rest home in Burwood, north east of Christchurch, to raise money for child cancer has been ruined after the proceeds were stolen. The event, organised by caregiver Janet Fraser, raised $232 for Cancer Kids, who lost two of their buildings in the earthquakes. However, things took an awful turn when Mrs Fraser's house was broken into last weekend and the money stolen.
Wanganui's fragile maternity services are on the verge of a major turnaround with confirmation the Whanganui District Health Board could have four obstetricians and gynaecologists (O&Gs) on its payroll in the next couple of months. Currently the maternity service is covered by just two permanent O&Gs and two locums.
In Rotorua, Daily Post photographers have been tracking the progress of the development of Lake Road and they have posted a compilation of images online to create a time-lapse. The road was reopened on Friday, and workers had 31 days while the road was closed to remove the old railway overbridge and prepare a new road surface.
