Tom Kitchin

Waka Kotahi is standing firm in the face of local opposition to a lower speed limit for the road between Napier and Taupo.

It insists reducing the maximum speed on the highway from 100 kilometres an… Audio

Parts of Aotearoa are heading towards a third consecutive year in drought.

The spring rain may keep some hopeful, but many farmers have had land dry out before their eyes in recent weeks.

RNZ… Audio

A controversial attempt to get water from the Ruataniwha Basin in Hawke's Bay is angering some in the community.

Eight farms want to take 15 million cubic metres of water out of the local aquifer for… Audio

It's not just Rhythm and Vines that might be gone in Gisborne, an easy summer at the beach might be out too.

Wood has been piling up on city's beaches after recent flooding.

Just two weeks before… Audio

Rain has continued to hammer down in Kāpiti Coast this afternoon, causing flooding, and leaving some residents cut off.

Our reporter Tom Kitchin joins me now from Te Horo Beach, just north of… Video, Audio

Wairoa has been left behind in the new traffic light system - with the rest of Hawke's Bay in the orange setting, it has stalled in the red.

Just 74 percent of people are double dosed in Wairoa -… Video, Audio

Tairāwhiti will go red on Friday - one of several North Island regions to head into the tightest restrictions in the traffic light framework.

Our reporter Tom Kitchin joins Lisa Owen from Gisborne.

… Video, Audio

A huge slip along the mothballed rail line between Gisborne and Wairoa has destroyed sacred Māori whenua and dashed hopes of the railway being reinstated.

The slip has come after recent flooding, and… Audio

Napier residents are demanding health authorities be more upfront about a case of Covid-19 in the city.

Speculation is rife and both the Ministry of Health and local health board have admitted making… Audio

Te Tairawhiti is racing to speed up its lagging vaccination rates as Covid cases spread across the motu.

The rohe has climbed up a spot to the second lowest first dose vaccination rate in the… Audio

There has been a testing and vaccination blitz in Taupō after five cases of Covid-19 were confirmed there.

Two hundred people turned out for a dose of Pfizer on Monday and 573 got tested - six times… Audio

Covid-19 is beginning to spread throughout the North Island.

Over the weekend nearly 400 cases were reported, some in new places.

Delta's now reached the Lakes District, with four cases in Taupō and… Audio

A year ago today, a weather bomb ripped through Napier, leaving a flood in its wake.

Nearly 600 properties were damaged, with over 100 left uninhabitable.

Almost 200 people had to leave their homes… Audio

The heavy rain may have subsided and the state of emergency has been lifted in Gisborne, but authorities say landslides and slips are causing a second wave of problems.

Torrential downpours saturated… Audio

A state of emergency is still in place in Gisborne today after intense rainfall led to flooding, downing trees, and even destabilising the land under some houses.

RNZ reporter Tom Kitchin has been… Audio

An Iraqi hairdresser living in Napier says he may be forced to close up and leave if he can't get his family into the country. His sister and her family are in Indonesia as aslyum seekers after… Audio

Farmers around the country could be in to reap the rewards of one of Fonterra's biggest milk price payouts in the co-operative's history.

The dairy giant predicts an $8.40 payout would pour almost… Audio

Napier City Council's decision to add Māori seats around the council table is being labelled a bittersweet victory by mana whenua.

The council has voted to establish Māori wards, but they won't exist… Audio

Hard work is going on in Tairāwhiti to boost the low Covid-19 vaccination rate.

The region, including Gisborne and the East Cape had the lowest Super Saturday numbers and it has the lowest first dose… Audio

The Hawke's Bay district of Wairoa hasn't had a dentist for adults in nearly two years.

The problem's been worsened by a huge dental need because of high rates of drug addiction.

Hawke's Bay… Audio