Waikato

Piata Otufangavalu is one of five people who died in the head-on collision earlier this week.

The business case for a third medical school at the University of Waikato is not expected until next year.

Police are working through what's described as a large scene after the "horrendous" head-on crash to understand what happened.

The elderly woman experienced significant delays in getting her echocardiogram and learning the results, which indicated severe heart valve disease and other heart disease.

It comes after the school was put in lockdown following a school brawl.

Up to 110 members of the Tertiary Education Union took strike action for three hours during the university's open day.

The facility was operating over occupancy in late April and early May.

One person died after a two vehicle crash on State Highway 26 north of Te Araroa on Thursday morning.

The woman in her 60s was seriously injured after the attack near Tairua on Wednesday.

Supporters of the Waikato to Auckland train Te Huia say Auckland Council is not doing its part to support the passenger service.

Staff are claiming a pay increase of five percent which their union says is a significant drop on what members first wanted.

The Health and Disability Commissioner has criticised the standard of care Te Whatu Ora Waikato provided to a woman who died of cancer.

An apprentice diesel mechanic who got behind the wheel after drinking and crashed, killing a young man, had recently been convicted of drink driving in similar circumstances.

Supporters are claiming the outcome as a victory, but a Waikato councillor would not be drawn on whether it could ensure the survival of the service.

Te Waka, which began in 2018 to drive economic performance in the fourth-largest region in the country, is the smallest and lowest-funded agency.

With power grid capacity in Waikato approaching its limit, new ways to add resilience are needed, Transpower says.

The offending came onto police's radar when a person whose new credit card - which never arrived but began to "tally up" raised the alarm.

Hato Hone St John says 24 people were involved in the crash but only two were injured.

Melaina Huaki attended only two-thirds of the meetings she was scheduled to be at, and resigned after RNZ asked why.

A petition to save the service has gained more than 4000 signatures in less than four days.