Stories by Natalie Akoorie

There were highly charged scenes in the Hamilton District Court this afternoon as whānau of an 8-year-old boy who died after a violent altercation threatened the accused when he appeared in the dock.

Norm Davies needs a triple bypass - but five weeks on, when he will get one is still unclear.

Hundreds of nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, students and administration staff walked off the job on Friday.

Councils should consider regulating the installation of free-standing ovens after a toddler was killed when one fell on her, a coroner says.

A woman waited more than 16 hours at Waikato Hospital's emergency department with suspected internal bleeding only to be referred again to her GP. Audio

Marcus Blackburn will be off work until mid-October in the wake of a raft of changes at the private Waikato school.

Locals banded together to fight the installation of the barrier, saying it would block escape in an emergency and slow first responders.

Carolyne Hall said the sale fell through after the buyer became aware of resource consent applications to extend emergency housing contracts.

The installation of a median barrier on a notorious stretch of state highway has riled up locals.

The patient ended up going private, where a four centimetre tumour was found, and the cancer had spread to her lungs

The Ministry of Education has paid almost $1 million to provide help for struggling schools in the past year.

Old mattresses, abandoned whiteware and decomposing nappies are among the mountain of regularly disposed of at illegal dumping sites in Hamilton.

A group of residents hope to sway the council in favour of saving the 122-year-old tower.

Staff at the home Bailey Ecclestone was placed in used denigratory language when discussing him and there was minimal focus on him as a person, the report says.

A councillor let the news slip just before mayor-elect Mahé Drysdale was able to officially announce it.

The new Tauranga City Council will hold its inaugural meeting this afternoon with a swearing in ceremony where new mayor Mahé Drysdale will choose his deputy.

A report into the massive Northland outage found there was insufficient supervision during the work.

Nurses have picketed outside Thames Hospital to voice frustration at what the union says is constant understaffing and increased workloads in the department.

Joe Carter had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor of a windowless room and likely hadn't taken his medication for a month before he died.

The man who murdered the Tokoroa school teacher 18 years ago will remain behind bars for another two years.

The Conservation Minister announced a $25 million boost for conservation projects, including $5m to plan, build and maintain a track at the favourite tourist attraction.

Two Waikato mayors have asked the local government minister for the establishment of an independent arbiter to deal with council code of conduct complaints.

There is still no date set for a coronial inquest into the multiple stabbings in Ōtorohanga and Kawhia in 2016, in which Keith Bremner was stabbed by his son and left unconscious.

The school has been marred by violent student brawls and a regular police presence since it opened at the beginning of the year.

The independent investigation follows 24 complaints being laid over Andrew Bydder's comments - from members of two councils and the general public.