Robin Martin
New Plymouth District Council flip-flops over composting plant
The New Plymouth District Council has done a flip-flop over its support for a controversial composting plant which has accumulated a 20,000 tonne stockpile of contaminated waste at its Uruti site.
In… Audio
Six kiwi released at Kaitake range in conservation milestone
Six kiwi have been released onto the Kaitake range in Te Papakura o Taranaki / Egmont National Park today where the call of our national bird has been absent for decades.
The release is a milestone… Audio
Taranaki hospitality school opens student hostel to homeless
A Taranaki hospitality school says opening up its student accommodation to homeless people was an easy decision to make.
The Pacific International Hotel Management School is housing about 50 people -… Audio
Strong opinons come out at Taranaki Māori wards meeting
Passions were running high at a public hearing in Stratford on a proposal to introduce a Māori Ward for the Taranaki Regional Council.
Iwi representatives and supporters yesterday engaged in a battle… Audio
Helicopter passengers taught how to escape underwater and upside down
Ever wondered how you'd escape from a helicopter which has crash landed in water?
Strapped in, submerged and most likely upside down you don't have much time to think.
A new training module is… Audio
Conservationists gather to celebrate kokako recovery
Under the cover of darkness this morning a milestone was celebrated in the efforts to increase the number of kokako.
From a population of just 300 breeding pairs in the late 1990s, the North Island… Video, Audio
Council jibe aims to stoke interest in submissions
A council that caused a stink by using a poo emoji as part of a "give a shit" campaign designed to get people to vote at the local body elections has again delved into its public relations bag of… Audio
Composting business sitting on 20,000 tonne of waste
A Taranaki composting business at the centre of a consents renewal wrangle is sitting on a 20,000 tonne pile of contaminated waste that could take up to 40 years to safely break down.
A regional… Audio
Mainfreight yet to identify reckless truck driver
One of the country's largest trucking companies is struggling to identify a driver caught on camera performing a risky overtaking manoeuvre on State Highway 2.
Video of the heart-in-your-mouth… Video, Audio
Taranaki composting business warned about misleading claims
It's been revealed a composting business at the centre of a resource consent wrangle in Taranaki has been warned by the Commerce Commission not to mislead consumers into believing all its sites and… Audio
Peanut butter baron spreads the good oil
The owner and founder of Pic's Peanut Butter - Pic Picot - wasn't about to let the Covid-related cancellation of a "design thinking" conference in New Plymouth, stop him from getting out and talking… Audio
Gas-guzzling cars go head to head with plug-ins in Taranaki
A battle for hearts and minds is underway in Taranaki between lovers of gas-guzzling classic American cars and the electric-powered new kids on the block.
About 780 vehicles from around the country… Audio
Silver Fern Farms fined more than $330k over ammonia leak
Silver Fern Farms has been fined more than $330,000 over an ammonia leak at its Hawera plant that was potentially lethal to its staff, emergency services personnel and nearby residents.
The February… Audio
Covid-19: 'PPE on steroids' used for recovery of seaman's body
Details have emerged of the extreme precautions - described as "PPE on steroids"- that were taken to remove the body of a man from Wuhan who died on a cargo vessel on its way to New Plymouth.
Amid… Audio
Police share details 'PPE on steroids' body recovery
A police officer has described the "PPE on steroids" recovery of a man's body who died at sea while on a cargo vessel travelling to New Plymouth. Amid covid-19 fears, the crew member -- from Wuhan… Audio
Long queue forms at New Plymouth Covid-19 testing stations
Well in New Plymouth, a long line of vehicles stretched along Tukapa Street outside the Taranaki Base Hosptial this morning as people rushed to get tested for Covid-19.
The mother and daughter of the… Audio
Covid-19: New Plymouth update
Two of the three family members who tested positive for Covid-19 visited New Plymouth around Waitangi Day.
Reporter Robin Martin is in New Plymouth. Audio
Covid-19: How Taranaki locals are feeling
Taranaki will be moved into Alert Level 2 Covid-19 restrictions along with the rest of the country, despite the revelation that two of the three new community cases visited several places in New… Audio
Hui kicks off in Taranaki to improve cancer outcomes for Māori
The Cancer Control Agency has kicked off a series of nationwide hui in New Plymouth, designed to address the appalling cancer statistics for Māori in New Zealand.
Around 200 people turned out to hear… Video, Audio
Ex New Plymouth Mayor Andrew Judd overjoyed at Maori Wards announcement
A former mayor of New Plymouth - who was spat at in the street over his support of establishing a Māori ward in the city - feels vindicated now the Government has stepped in to scrap citizen-initiated… Audio
