Stories by Anusha Bradley

An increasing number of stranded foreign nationals are looking for work in Hawke's Bay, despite the season, and civil defence says it is like "watching a slow train wreck".

From turning backpacker dorms into escape rooms, or dumping fine dining for comfort food, Hawke's Bay businesses are coming up with innovative ways to survive in the post-Covid-19 world.

A review of Napier's water supply has identified several risks, including the catastrophic scenario of the city running out of water.

Two small Hawke's Bay music venues are raising money to bring more musicians to the region, in a bid to support artists and the local music scene decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Experts fear a future outbreak of Covid-19 could be harder to control because half of the country's DHBs are not using the government's national contact tracing system. Audio

Many artists and musicians are welcoming a $175 million government package aimed at protecting 90,000 jobs.

The review comes as at least one district health board is refusing to use the national contract tracing software, citing concerns with its ability to deal with complex cases or clusters.

The rolling hills on the Dasent family's farm in rural Hawke's Bay are a sea of brown as far as the eye can stretch. Video

A Facebook page for Hawke's Bay farmers struggling with severe drought is being credited with saving lives. Video

People in rural parts of central Hawke's Bay are being urged to test drinking water bores as nitrate levels in some areas soar.

The family of a couple who caught Covid-19 on a cruise are considering legal action against the ship's operator Royal Caribbean.

A group of high school students have created a low-cost ventilator using pieces of wood, lego, and a power drill.

With brand new areas for suspected Covid-19 patients and a doubling of intensive care beds, Hawke's Bay Hospital hopes to reassure the public it is safe to seek medical help.

Hunting or camping in Te Urewera will not be allowed at Covid-19 alert level 3, Tūhoe says.

Being cooped up at home is forcing New Zealanders back into the kitchen and while it's a silver lining for some, others are pining for takeout.

A Hastings-based Samoan chief has been found guilty of 10 charges in human trafficking and 13 charges in dealing in slaves.

Hastings resident Joseph Auga Matamata, 65, denies 24 charges of human trafficking and slavery between 1994 and 2019. The Crown closed its case against him today.

The region's farmers and leaders are urging the government to declare a drought as parts of the region experience the driest period on record.

A Samoan chief on trial for slavery says he paid for five men to come to New Zealand to perform at his mother's birthday party, but they ran away and became overstayers.

A Hastings-based Samoan chief on trial for human trafficking and slavery has denied tying up a teenage girl and locking her in a room after an escape attempt.

A Samoan man, who the Crown says was trafficked to New Zealand and used as a slave, says the accused threw a pair of secateurs at his 12-year-old cousin so hard they stuck in his arm.

A Samoan man the Crown says was trafficked to New Zealand and used as a slave says he was put to work within hours getting off the plane and was constantly beaten for working too slowly.

A Hawke's Bay school is believed to be the first in the country to join a global campaign to discourage bullying and improve the mental health of its students by doing up its loos.

Hawke's Bay fruit and vegetable growers say they'll be hit hard by a ban on taking water from two rivers, as levels drop in hot, dry weather.

A lack of air conditioning at Hawke's Bay Hospital is leaving staff and patients sweltering in 30C heat that unions say is unsafe.