NZ at Noon: Stranded Spacemen, Catholics And Gays, Wanganui Nudity

Sam Berkley and Ben Van Lier are American astronauts who need rescuing. Photo / Warren Buckland

Stories making headlines across New Zealand at noon include spacemen needing urgent assistance, a teacher sacked for giving an opinion in the gay marriage debate, and topless women wandering around Wanganui.

The spacemen are rapidly running out of oxygen, power and water but if you keep a cool head, you can help!

Nigel Studdart's teaching was "innovative and engaging" and he was highly regarded by his students but the Catholic school fired him anyway because he objected to the principal's inference that gay people were inferior parents.

Meanwhile gay rights supporters travelled to Wairarapa by the carload for a fierce public debate.

Don't be surprised if you see someone taking photographs of topless women in Wanganui's public places.

Grant Duffield is obsessed with Georgie Pie.

Two truckloads of rubbish was collected from Bay of Islands beaches.

At One Tree Point in Ruakaka, Rick White had to think quickly when the family washing machine caught fire.

Here's some new uses for sea lettuce. Meanwhile the Greatures are apparently fun for children and a stimulus to learning.

Although seats were placed along the Whangarei riverfront, the view of the water, boats and reserves across the river was obstructed by mangroves.

Nearly $1 billion was given to charity last year but it's getting harder to get people to give.

Thieves who stole $70,000 worth of equipment from engineering firm Caldme NZ left a calling card.

Tauranga is planning a beach extravaganza to celebrate the new year.

St Mary's Diocesan School topped the New Zealand Speech and Drama examinations.

Trampers check out this video of the Lake Waikaremoana Track.

New Zealand's superannuation scheme is apparently not sustainable.

After seven years, Archivists have spent weeks anticipating the 10,000th upload to Picture Wairarapa.

A Te Wharau farmer has had a gutsful of sheep rustlers. Joan Dempster from Opuawhanga is also "sick and tired" of thieves taking anything that isn't nailed down.

There are apparently 45 billion barrels of crude oil and 115 trillion cubic feet of natural gas sitting beneath the "last frontier."

One serial tagger in Christchurch who regularly etches his tag on bus windows has been arrested.

The Ashburton Samoan family of nine has found reprieve in Rakaia.

A national programme dubbed "Policing Excellence" will apparently result in the disestablishment of some non-sworn police jobs in Dunedin.

The Otago Heritage Bus Society has just scored a 1976 Dunedin Corporation Transport Leyland Leopard.

Treble Cone will not be extending its closing date past next Sunday.

Waimate police are calling on the community to remain vigilant around remote areas.

Oamaru's Julie Barclay needs your help to make her dreams come true.

A trust has been established to help the family of Hokitika boy Tayne Bowes who died in a car accident last month, after it was revealed Tayne's father has a brain tumour.

Meanwhile the directors of Buller Electricity Ltd (BEL) have insured themselves for $10 million.

The top trending topics on Twitter in NZ at noon were: #JanoskiansFollowSpree, #MentionSomeoneVerySpecial, #VerifyTheJanoskians, Kim Dotcom, ANZ, iOS 6, Naki, John Banks, Twitpic and Olympic.