Ava Whitworth

5 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Ava Whitworth |Mildred Armah |Robert van Royen

The thought of getting back to an exercise routine after surgery might make you wince. It can be a struggle to know where to begin, especially if your body isn’t working the way it used to. The good news is that heading to your local pool or aquatic therapy can be a great alternative to land-based physical therapy and exercise. Research, including a 2024 study, says aquatic exercise can significantly help patients recover both mentally and physically after most surgeries.

6 days ago | stuff.co.nz | Christina Larson |Ava Whitworth |Chris Marriner |Poppy Clark

Social Media or Social Isolation? What’s Fuelling Teen Loneliness? Loneliness has become a global public health concern. Countries including the United Kingdom and Japan have appointed “ministers of loneliness” to help tackle the problem. In the United States, then-Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a public health advisory on loneliness, stating that the risk for premature death from loneliness is akin to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.

3 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Ava Whitworth |Steve Kilgallon |Sanda Arambepola |Sam Smith

A man who went on an 18-month crime spree targeting commercial and retail premises is in no position to repay the debt they incurred as result of his relentless offending, a court has heard. Tan Ropitini, 36, committed the first offence in December 2023 when he stole a pair of shoes from Rebel Sports in Hastings, and continued his offending until January 2025 when he was arrested in Foxton while in possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

3 weeks ago | stuff.co.nz | Ava Whitworth |Alan Granville |Hamish McNeilly |Eva Gallot

A fire chief who attended a tourist bus crash in northern Southland on Wednesday says it is not the first bus crash his brigade has been called to in that area. Three people were taken to Southland Hospital, one in a serious condition, after a bus carrying 17 people crashed on State Highway 97 between Mossburn and Five Rivers at about 3:45pm. The crash happened near Diack Rd, and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said the highway was reopened at midnight.

1 month ago | stuff.co.nz | Poppy Clark |Ava Whitworth