A Whangarei optometrist has been banned from practicing for six months and has also been asked to pay $10,000, after misdiagnosing teenager's eye condition.

Desmond John White was unable to diagnose an abnormal condition in Jared McGiven, 16.  White's ignorance did not let him refer Jared to a specialist and the damage was caused. Resultant of which, Jared's eye was surgically removed.

As per recent reports, it has been revealed that Whangarei Hospital is struggling against yet another confirmed case of meningococcal disease, the patient being a four-year-old boy who was rushed to the hospital earlier on Tuesday.

Madness of guessing seven billionth children is not coming to an end as it is expected that the child has taken birth in Whangarei, which is north most city in New Zealand.

She is a girl, who has been named as Kora Jade. Tim Bowman, the grandfather of that child, is getting numerous phone calls in order to confirm the news, but he is surprised as well.

If this 12-year-old girl from Whangarei, who is presumed to be suffering from meningococcal C, tests positive for the disease then it would be the 13th case in the region.

It seems that the scar of meningococcal disease would take its due course of time to settle down as another case of an elderly Whangarei woman caught the authorities with shock. It was confirmed by Northland DHB spokesperson that the patient was rushed to Whangarei Hospital last Thursday as symptoms appeared, but she could not survive for too long and died the same evening.

The owner of Whangarei's Switched on Gardener store, Ian Robert Kerr was found guilty of supplying equipment that is used to grow cannabis. The announcement was made by the jury of eight women and three men at the Whangarei District Court after conducting a discussion of seven hours. The ruling was made by the court after a three-day trial.