Andrew Mc Rae
Midday Rural News for 26 April 2018
The forestry industry says a ruling against an Eastern Bay of Plenty forest owner and two harvesting contractors, should come as a warning to other operators. Audio
Midday Rural News for 24 April 2018
Irrigation New Zealand says it's perplexed the Provincial Growth Fund has ruled out support for large scale irrigation projects. Audio
Man escapes jail for street racing smash
Dylan Cossey, 21, escaped jail time for his part in the deaths of four people killed when their car crashed while street racing his vehicle near Hamilton. Video, Audio
Trauma of war the focus for 96th Poppy Day
The trauma of war and the toll on soldiers' mental health is the focus of this year's Poppy Day Appeal, Not All Wounds Bleed. Collectors will be out in force today raising money to support this… Audio
Homeowners in Tauranga subdivision won't be allowed back
Tauranga City Council has told the owners of 21 properties in the troubled Bella Vista that it's too dangerous to go back. Video, Audio
Hundreds protest proposed axing of Taupo rescue helicopter
A proposal by the National Ambulance Sector Office would see rescue helicopter bases taken away from the central North Island town, as well as Rotorua and Te Anau. Video, Audio
14 houses uninhabitable, tornado rips through National Park
Fourteen houses in National Park have been deemed unliveable after a tornado ripped through the area yesterday morning. RNZ reporter Andrew McRae met with locals displaced from their homes. Video, Audio
Storm chaos: National Park hit by winds, ice closes Desert Rd
As the wild weathe hit Taranaki, the central North Island's National Park was also battered as another tornado destroyed a home and damaged several others. RNZ reporter Andrew McRae has the latest… Audio
Tornado destroys house, damages others, in National Park
A tornado tore through the central North Island town of National Park today, destroying at least one house and damaging others. Reporter Andrew McRae joins Checkpoint live from the town. Video, Audio
Edgecumbe flood victims - where are they now?
It's been one year to the day since the stopbank broke and hundreds of homes were flooded in Edgecumbe. Locals describe what they've endured, and where they are now. Video, Audio
Dairy owners resort to pricey security systems to thwart robber
Hamilton dairy owner Sandip Patel has installed aluminium cage-like doors to control who comes and goes from his shop. Video, Audio
22,000 cattle infected with Mycoplasma bovis to be culled
The Minister of Agriculture and Biosecurity Damien O'Connor says it's necessary to cull the cattle to stop the possibility of the disease spreading from the infected-farms which are all connected to… Audio
Ngaruawahia rallies around family after girl's death on bridge
The Ngaruawahia community is rallying to support the family of an eleven-year-old girl killed on Sunday while playing on a train bridge across the Waikato River. A Givealittle page has been set up for… Audio
Ngāruawāhia locals fear girl's death will change nothing
Ngāruawāhia locals, shocked by the death of an 11-year-old girl killed by a freight train, say something needs to change before someone else dies, but they're not holding out hope it will. Video, Audio
Ngaruawahia bridge fatality 'an accident waiting to happen'
An 11-year-old girl has died after being hit by a train on a Ngaruawahia bridge. The freight train, travelling from Hamilton to Auckland struck the 11-year-old on the bridge at about 6pm on Sunday… Audio
Free for 18 years, now the gardners might have to pay
A group of volunteers which provides produce from the Bayfair Community Garden to the local foodbank are outraged Tauranga Council wants to charge them $314 a year to use council land. Video, Audio
Coromandel mangroves battle continues at Parliament
A move on the Coromandel that could make it easier to destroy mangroves is dividing the community. A bill, now before Parliament would over-ride the Resource Management Act and take the power to grant… Audio