Rotorua Daily Post
‘Incredibly unlikely’
Afuture Bay of Plenty super council dominated by Tauranga is “incredibly unlikely”, Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell says. It comes as rural leaders are concerned major local government reform could dilute smaller communities’ voices. Western Bay of Plenty...
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‘I couldn’t even make my bed’
Rotorua mother Kimy Clendon thought Christmas in 2025 would be her last. The 44-year-old had been experiencing shortness of breath, chest pain, “major fatigue”, body aches, swollen legs, and an irregular heartbeat for two years. Her symptoms became so...
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Options explored after Iran war hits bin rollout
Alternative suppliers are being considered for Rotorua’s new organic waste bins after issues linked to the Iran war meant they could not be supplied as planned. Rotorua Lakes Council’s new waste collection system was due to start on July 1, but has...
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HE HAD A HEART OF GOLD
He was a young man with a heart of gold, a kind and caring manner like no other, an adored friend and a son who was his parents’ world. But at just 21, Rotorua’s Jacob Snyman has lost his life to a rare form of cancer. After what has been described...
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More than 8700 staff ‘still waiting’ for holiday pay
More than 8700 current and former healthcare workers in the Lakes district are “still waiting” for their Holidays Act remediation payments after a decade, leaving them angry and frustrated, a Rotorua Hospital union delegate says. The New Zealand...
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‘He just wanted to live . . . and we did’
Shane Luke’s “dream” was to run a drainlaying, plumbing and gas-fitting company. Four years ago, his dream was realised when he and his wife, Sara Luke, bought a Rotorua business. “Work was his hobby. He loved his work,” Sara told the Rotorua Daily...
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‘We’re losing too many men’
ARotorua widow whose husband died from prostate cancer in 2024 says a screening programme will save lives, memories and futures. Meanwhile, a Tauranga prostate cancer survivor says “too many men” are dying from the disease, amid calls for a national...
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‘An amazing iwi leader’
Behind Dr Ken Kennedy’s kind eyes and warm smile was a man with a gifted memory, a broad knowledge of iwi ancestry and a staunch passion for Māori language. Ken (Keneti) Cameron Kennedy, or Dr Ken as he was affectionately known, quietly went about...
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CASH GRAB
ARotorua drug dealer who had wads of cash totalling more than $25,000 stashed in different spots has been forced to forfeit the funds. Joseph Jacobs is serving a sixand-a-half-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to two charges of possession of...
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‘CONSTANT’ TURNOVER
Fatal car crashes are heartbreaking for the families involved — and they also impact emergency services personnel who respond. One Rotorua survivor praised responders for their compassion at the devastating scene of an Anzac Day crash, while police...
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Proposed rafting merger may be sunk
Akey player in the proposed merger of Rotorua’s commercial rafting companies is frustrated by new signs the Commerce Commission may block the deal despite support from the city’s tourism industry. Rotorua Rafting’s Sam Sutton says businesses will...
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‘A LEGACY’
Rotorua Boys’ High have captured the Sanix World Youth Rugby Championship for the third time, after an emphatic 46-19 victory over Feilding High School in the 2026 final in Fukuoka, Japan. Life cannot get any better for Rotorua, who now hold the...
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Fatberg causes sewage overflow into stream
Afatberg has been blamed for causing a sewer leak that contaminated a Rotorua waterhole last week, forcing it to close for two days. Residents are being asked to use the incident as a reminder of what not to flush down the loo. Redwoods Forest dog...
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Why the Bay is more ‘sceptical’ of migrants
The Bay of Plenty is the most “sceptical” region in the country towards migrants, a new report says. The new Helen Clark Foundation Social Cohesion report, which surveyed 2882 people last year, showed 45% of Bay residents believed immigration levels...
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Millions to undo damage from emergency housing
millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent fixing up damaged and rundown Rotorua motels after they were used for emergency housing. One ministry has spent about $3.6 million on jobs such as repainting rooms; replacing beds, mattresses, carpet,...
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‘I wish I could swap places with my brother’
‘Iwish I could swap places with my brother.” Those were the words of Kaci Tauroa, a young woman who drove dangerously and crashed, killing her 10-year-old brother Jax Tauroa-Wall. Tauroa’s letter was provided to Judge Greg Hollister-Jones and referred...
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Olympian takes on Rotorua Marathon
Olympic medallist Brooke Francis will ditch her oars for sneakers as she laces up for her first Rotorua Marathon. Rotorua resident Francis will join the start line of the 42.2km Red Stag Rotorua Marathon tomorrow. This event marks 62 years for the...
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Son jailed after neglect caused mum’s death
For 10 years, Stephen Bourke took good care of his mother. But now he’s been jailed after his neglect caused her death. The case has been described as one of a young man struggling and overwhelmed, rather than one of malicious intent. Gloria Bourke,...
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Rugby great dies in crash on way to dawn parade
He was a star representative rugby and tennis player, a husband, father, kaumātua and friend. Dinny Mohi was a legend. The 85-year-old’s remarkable life was cut short on Saturday morning in a crash near Ngongotahā on his way to the Ō hinemutu dawn...
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Turning tragedy into hope
Rotorua mother Elizabeth Pilaar faced the ‘unthinkable’ when her 19-year-old son, Michael Pilaar, died from melanoma. In a self-published memoir, Pilaar has written about the unexpected diagnosis and how the family brought ‘the best out of an awful...
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Big pay day for farmers
A“once in a lifetime” payout has landed in the bank accounts of Rotorua and Taupō dairy farmers following Fonterra’s $4.2 billion sale of its dairy brands. A farming leader predicts the payout will boost the local economy, with farmers buying more...
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In the footsteps of ‘a M¯aori boy so far from his home’
Standing in the rain at a war grave in France, Eremia Tapsell came face to face with a family story that began centuries earlier – and ended, for some, on the Western Front. With Anzac Day nearing, that moment has taken on deeper meaning, linking...
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Isolated residents soldier on after washout
Awoman swept away in floodwaters after plunging into a chasm on the washed-out Ngapouri Rd south of Rotorua now counts every day as a bonus. “Today is bonus day 13,” her husband said on Tuesday. That’s how the couple view life after her miraculous...
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Council writes off $12.4m
rotorua Lakes Council is writing off $12.4 million tied to its OneCouncil IT system after moving from a locally hosted version of its core business software to a cloud-based set-up. Council staff say the adjustment will not directly impact rates,...
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COLD CASE
Afaulty air conditioning system at Rotorua’s Courthouse saw the room temperature plummet, forcing a delay in a sexual assault jury trial involving a young complainant. Rotorua lawyers say it’s another disappointing episode involving the shocking...
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Major hotel hits market as tourism rebounds
Rotorua’s rebounding tourism market is being used to lure investors as a major hotel and a motel on Fenton St go on the market. The Copthorne Hotel, between Ward Ave and Maida Vale St, is for sale. It will soon be joined by the former Boulevard Motel,...
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Businesses battle fuel crisis
Rotorua businesses say they are cutting costs as fuel prices climb and supply fears grow. They are carpooling, reducing idle time and ramping up security to stop diesel theft. Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Melanie Short said some businesses...
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Town mourns loss of two ‘great boys’
A resident says Kawerau is “silent” as locals mourn after a fatal incident at the Tarawera River. The community has been left reeling after two children were killed in a riverbank slip at Boyce Park on Thursday. The two boys have been named as Pauly...
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RIVER TRAGEDY
Two people have died after a water-related incident in the Tarawera River near Kawerau’s Boyce Park. Emergency services were called to the scene about 11.30am yesterday after a report of a party becoming “stuck under a bank”. Eastern Bay of Plenty...
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Tribunal tells council to cut pensioner’s rent
The Tenancy Tribunal has ordered a rent reduction of more than 40% for a tenant soon to be impacted by changes to Rotorua’s pensioner housing portfolio, raising fresh questions about Rotorua Lakes Council’s wider housing overhaul. The decision, which...
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‘No wriggle room’
Liquidated health and wellness centre QE Health asked for “critical” funding increases from Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora to keep its Rotorua business afloat after it “narrowly avoided” insolvency in August, documents show. Health NZ told QE Health...
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Parolees moved from whata site
The founder of a parolee reintegration programme says he will continue working with people on bail as he fights serious personal allegations and a council consent battle over his controversial site. The Department of Corrections has confirmed parolees...
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Vaianu brings plenty of wind and rain
Cyclone Vaianu has caused chaos across the Bay of Plenty and forced people to flee their homes. Two key routes into Rotorua were closed — including one where a “massive” tree came down on SH33 between Te Puke and Rotorua. Rotorua Lakes Council said...
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‘I just saw the car disappear’
Awoman prayed and sang hymns to keep herself calm as she sat trapped inside an upturned car for about 15 minutes as floodwaters slowly filled her vehicle. She had just plunged about 20m into a chasm on the washed-out Ngapouri Rd in Waiotapu, south of...
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‘Miraculous’ survival
Awoman barely had space to breathe as floodwaters rushed through her upturned car when rescuers arrived, one of the first neighbours on the scene says. Local farmers rushed to the driver’s aid on Wednesday night after the vehicle plunged about 20m...
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Council’s Easter blunder
Rotorua Lakes Council has apologised after staff told central city retailers to shut on Easter Sunday when they didn’t have to. Retailers told the Rotorua Daily Post they were “not happy” at having to close on one of their busiest weekends, especially...
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‘IT’S BONKERS’
more than a dozen Rotorua businesses operating on some of the district’s most iconic lakes have been told they may be in breach of planning rules after a little-known, decade-old provision resurfaced. The cost and time involved in meeting the...
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Laundry, shower service to close
Afree laundry, showering and second-hand clothing service for homeless people in Rotorua is set to close in two months because of funding problems. Some homeless people say they are worried about what will happen when the Pukuatua St site shuts. They...
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‘Extraordinary people’
Rotorua couple Lena and Phil Stirrup have raised their 13-year-old granddaughter Keira since she was a baby, becoming leading supporters for other local caregivers in the process. Their efforts have been recognised with New Zealand’s highest accolade...
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Top-up blow for pensioners
Agovernment ministry has challenged the Rotorua Lakes Council’s promise that some pensioner housing tenants would be “no worse off financially” when rents rise under new management. The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) says it would not have...
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‘End of a chapter’
Skyline Rotorua is to close its mountain bike park to focus on new developments at its Mt Ngongotahā site. Mountain bikers will have a year to make the most of the park, which hosts international mountain biking event Crankworx, with closure of the...
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New scheme helps firms cut through CV deluge
Hundreds of job applications were “overwhelming” a Rotorua businesswoman looking for a few casual staff. Postie store manager Tracey Dunbar said she would only read the first 10 applications and choose from those because it was “too much”. Dunbar...
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New houses planned for iwi land
Ngāti Whakaue says it is looking to ease Rotorua’s housing shortage and create a brighter path for its people by building a new “community” on iwi land at Ngongotahā. Details of a 38-home project were revealed to just under 40 locals at a public...
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Dutch and Māori family united over WWII bravery medal
Residents of the wider Bay of Plenty will no longer be guaranteed free entry into the Rotorua Museum once it reopens after agreement to remove this condition from a $4.1 million grant. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council agreed last week to remove the...
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Kapa haka results under fire
Organisers of Te Arawa’s regional kapa haka event are being asked to rethink the results of its kaumātua section, days after they apologised for making an error in announcing the overall winners. Ngāti Rangiwewehi Pakeke say they were disqualified for...
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Bay’s baby bump
Birth rates in the Bay of Plenty have risen in the past decade, but experts say rising living costs are “without a doubt” reshaping residents’ family plans. According to the latest data from Stats NZ, 57,705 live births were registered in New Zealand...
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Te Arawa trust buys Rotorua Duck Tours
Aleading Rotorua iwi entity has made an “exciting” move to buy one of the city’s most iconic tourism businesses. Te Arawa Management Ltd, the commercial arm of Te Arawa Lakes Trust, has bought Rotorua Duck Tours –a 23-year-old business involving...
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Cemetery a ‘mess'
Weeds growing “higher than headstones” and other recent maintenance issues at Rotorua cemeteries have left mourners disappointed. Rotorua Lakes Council says the issue is good growing conditions, rather than any cutbacks, and issues are addressed...
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Sister heartbroken after memorial disappears
Amemorial tribute to a deaf and blind man killed after a hit-and-run in Rotorua last year has been stripped less than a year after his death. The entirety of the memorial, including hand-crafted items left at the Edmund Rd pedestrian crossing in...
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‘Red flags’: The search for Jayleb
Aaron Dean and his sister knocked on the door of the man who was last with their brother, Jayleb-che Dean. They were calm, Aaron said, but desperate for answers. Jayleb had connected with the man on a dating app and arranged to meet on Tuesday,...
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Council trims rates rise
Rotorua Lakes Council has reduced the proposed average rates increase for the 2026/27 Annual Plan to about 6.8%, following deliberations at Wednesday’s council meeting. The most recent prior projection had the council tracking for a 10.8% rise, but...
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‘Energy security is paramount’
Projects exploring potential new geothermal power station sites in the Bay of Plenty will receive a $20 million Government loan. Regional Development and Resources Minister Shane Jones announced the loan at an event in Rotorua on Tuesday , as well as a...
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Teen admits charge over mate’s crash death
Ateen driver was travelling at more than 130km/h with his mate in the passenger seat when he lost control, hit a bank, and rolled the car. Johdeci Te Kani, 17, had been drinking, had cannabis in his system, and was driving a Toyota Starlet with one...
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Silver boom
The Rotorua retirement village sector has invested millions of dollars in expansions and new units to help meet growing demand. Despite the sector’s expansion, “new supply is still not keeping up with the projected need”, the Retirement Villages...
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Touch move criticised
Teams are criticising a decision to move a national schools’ tournament from Rotorua to Gisborne, with concern some will be priced out or unable to find accommodation. The New Zealand Secondary Schools Touch Championships will be held in Gisborne in...
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Residents push back against Rotorua bin changes
Rotorua Lakes Council is backing its move to fortnightly general rubbish collection despite an online clamour to reconsider. Following consultation in 2022, the council decided to change the city’s future kerbside waste system, introducing a food...
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Te Arawa pride
It was 28 years ago at kapa haka nationals when legendary entertainer Sir Howard Morrison whispered in the ear of his son: “You need to do something to inspire your team.” Howie Morrison jnr walked on to the finals stage with his Ngāti Rangiwewehi...
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‘Out the gate’
Motorists are rushing to fill their tanks as petrol prices soar with the conflict in the Middle East pushing up the price of oil. And Rotorua businesses have been warned they could be heavily impacted by high prices. Oil prices surged over 25% on...
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Web of deceit
Fashion designer Kharl Wirepa spent thousands of dollars raised for charity by his Miss Rotorua Pageant contestants, on himself, it can now be revealed. On the day his trial was to start, the Rotorua former reality TV show star changed his pleas to...
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‘Caught our hearts’
Rotorua has earned the reputation of being a “very welcoming” city for migrants, with people from 66 countries now calling it home. The city’s population is expected to rise steadily in the next 30 years, with growing migrant diversity helping shape...
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Girl scarred for life
TWarning: Graphic image inside he mother of a 6-year-old child scarred for life after a relative’s dog bit her face is disappointed authorities have not ordered that the dog be destroyed. The 2024 incident has come to light after the dog’s Rotorua...
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‘It’s fantastic to see’
Rotorua hotels have spent millions of dollars on refurbishments as visitor demand rebounds to preCovid levels. Millennium Hotel Rotorua has completed its “largest upgrade in nearly 20 years”, Regent of Rotorua is hosting more than 3000 extra people...
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‘Prolific’ dealer ran drug window from CBD shop
A“prolific” drug dealer peddling thousands of dollars of methamphetamine and liquid ecstasy from his central Rotorua shop boasted he was the “best at this” in town. Now Jeremy David Jones, 48, is behind bars awaiting sentencing after admitting in the...
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‘A very long fight’
Australian citizen Ned Kelly, 91, lived in New Zealand for 66 years. His niece Kylie Cook says he paid taxes here, owned property, used the public health system, collected superannuation and essentially enjoyed the same privileges as a New...
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Club fights to reclaim facility after feud
ARotorua rugby league club has called on the council to end a seven-year wait to return to a clubhouse abandoned amid an inter-club feud. Central Rugby League Club was founded in 1969, but split into two factions in 2017 after an internal dispute,...
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‘Nowhere else to turn’
Adisabled teenager with the developmental age of a 13-month-old has been living in Rotorua Hospital for more than five months after his mother had “nowhere else to turn” for help. Taupō mother Melissa Humphrey told the Rotorua Daily Post she admitted...
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100-PLUS NEW BUILDS
More than 100 new Kāinga Ora houses will be ready for individuals and families to move in this year in Rotorua, with major projects nearing completion. Building work has started on the final stage of Kāinga Ora’s significant development on the corner...
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Push to fix late-night booze sale loophole
Rotorua Lakes Council is considering standardising offlicence closing times after a loophole in a new alcohol policy allowed some stores to trade later.. In January, the council opened consultation on a proposed amendment to its Local Alcohol Policy...
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Guardian admits role in 8-year-old’s death
On November 15, 2024, Pauline Timu put Rickah’shae KeefeHaerewa in the back of her car, after he’d allegedly suffered a serious assault at the hands of another person. But rather than race to Whakatāne Hospital, she pulled over for between seven and...
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Govt’s ‘move on’ law welcomed by some
Some in Rotorua are rejoicing in new laws that will allow police to “move on” beggars and homeless people, but Waiariki MP Rawiri Waititi has called the legislation “disgusting”. The Government announced the crackdown on beggars, rough sleepers and...
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Hastings claims downhill
Top seed Jenna Hastings was the fastest woman on the Redemption Downhill course at Christchurch Adventure Park for Crankworx. She secured her third medal of the week after clinching gold in the Air Downhill and silver in the Pump Track Challenge. ■...
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Mayor plans fifth trip to China to put city on map
Rotorua Mayor Tania Tapsell will travel to China next month as the city seeks to rebuild a tourism market during the Covid-19 paneroded demic. Tapsell will attend a tourism roadshow from March 21 to April 2. She will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu...
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Dad alarmed by leaky baby unit
The father of a premature baby staying in Rotorua Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit has raised the alarm over rainwater leaks, a broken security door and what he described as “rotten floors” in the facility. Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora said safety...
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‘I try to say it how it is’
Superintendent Tim Anderson stands in front of a media conference near the scene of the Mauao slip that claimed six lives and answers questions calmly and genuinely. He’s not speaking like a cop, who are often drilled to choose their words...
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Rest home on trial
ARotorua rest home will go on trial in October after Worksafe brought a charge alleging failings with its smoking policy, following the death of a resident after a fire. Heritage Lifecare (trading as Cantabria Lifecare & Village) has denied the charge...
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