1Snow exacerbates misery for quake-hit residents in Christchurch as the city has its coldest day for nearly a century. Those using outdoor portaloos and showers are particularly hard hit as well as those with damaged, cracked and draughty houses which increases the heating bills.

2A trades based Tertiary High School at Manukau Institute of Technology in 2010 has been successful in increasing the student's skills, and they can get NCEA credits. These are students who are not succeeding at schools. Stuart Middleton and has also established the Centre for Studies in Multiple Pathways which better links schools to post-secondary education and training.

3News from the United States, including: the Washington heatwave; the end of the 'don't ask, don't tell law' law so gays and lesbians can openly be in the armed forces; Legal gay marriage has been introduced in the state of New York; and the stalemate in talks over the US debt ceiling.

4It is his final week in the role of Otago University Vice Chancellor. He is Professor of Preventive and Social Medicine at the university, and his primary research interest is cancer epidemiology. He has acted as a consultant to the World Health Organisation and to the New Zealand government. In 1990, he was awarded an OBE for services to medicine and, in 2009, received a knighthood. He has contributed to the study of cervical, breast and prostate cancer, as well contraceptives and reproductive health

5Business commentary, including: Trade figures are up in the latest quarterly survey; Fonterra's internet auction; immigration to Australia; and the Kiwi handover in the CEO role at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

6Claims that insurance companies are increasingly rejecting applications and claims on mental health grounds. This is if a person has even just had a discussion with a health professional about stress, anxiety or depression.