A local official in New Zealand says it's time for Palmerston North to join other cities by allowing the number 13 for street addresses. It seems absurd to me in 2009 that we still should be deciding street numbering policy or anything else on superstition, Palmerston North City Councilor Chris Teo-Sherrell told the Dominion Post.

By DYKES, Mervyn Winter still has a sting or two in its tail, warns the operations manager at Horizons Regional Council, Alan Cook. Strong winds and heavy rains earlier this week have left the region battered and in many areas extremely water-logged.

The electricity supply company, Powerco, says there are just a handful of Manawatu people still without power, and it expects to get them back on-line today. "There are perhaps a dozen clients without power today.

As the Manawatu struggles with the cumulative effect of turbines spreading across our hills, balanced against the need for renewable energy, minds begin turning to other types of energy supply, such as off-shore wind farms and tidal turbines.

Te Manawa Trust's Lisa Foggin shows Emma Gerke from Kimbolton how to break out of an arm grip. They were at Girls' Day Out, organised by the Manawatu Rural Support Services for rural girls aged 13 to 15.