Tom Kitchin

It's six months since a flood tore through the streets of Napier, causing chaos and sending hundreds of people out of their homes. Some people have got their lives back to normal but many are still… Audio

The nightime wanderings of three-year Axle from Tolaga Bay may have shocked and amazed but his family's back story is highlighting the more commonplace crisis of homelessness.

Before moving to the… Audio

Three-year-old Axle Hamblyn has given a big thanks to all the people who helped find him.

The boy was rescued on Wednesday morning after going wandering on Tuesday and spending nearly 22 hours in… Video, Audio

The father of three-year old boy found after spending a night alone on a track says he feared for the worst.

Axle Hamblyn was discovered about 3km from his parents' Tolaga Bay home just before 11am.

A new upgraded facility is opening its doors in Gisborne today to help people finding life tough in the city. Last week, RNZ revealed the extent of the housing crisis in the area. It's hoped this… Audio

What's life like on a cannabis patch? Will eating hemp seeds make you high? To find out, our reporter Tom Kitchin talked to East Coast Cannabis company worker Ben Goodman just out of Ruatoria. Audio

The close 'no' vote in last year's cannabis referendum has left Tairāwhiti cannabis growers and its isolated communities in a rut.

They say prohibition leads to more abuse of harder drugs and… Video, Audio

Gisborne is struggling to find enough homes for its isolated population.

As house prices rise dramatically, people are still living on the streets, in cars and even in tents as winter approaches.

… Video, Audio

Fruit, meat works and food processing industries are calling on the government to open pacific borders to tackle what they're calling their worst ever labour crisis.

At a media conference in Napier… Video, Audio

Many east coast locals are disheartened by the prospect of more forestry in the area.

The Climate Change Commission is encouraging the planting of thousands of hectares of forestry in decades to… Audio

The Mayor of Napier fears police in her city are "stretched to the limit" and is crying out for more support.

This comes as an escalation of gang violence has hit Hawke's Bay.

Hawke's Bay reporter… Audio

Napier has the highest social housing waitlist per capita in the country.

Amid the art deco beauty and the picturesque seaside there are tougher, darker problems simmering under the surface.

Hawke's… Audio

People in Napier are hoping the government's housing package which will be announced at 9 o'clock this morning will include measures that could help ease the city's homeless problem. 

Napier has the… Audio

Fixing Napier's brown water problem could take two decades and almost $300 million, a new report has revealed.

Since chlorine was added to the water four years ago, residents have complained of… Audio

To Hawke's Bay now where orchardists are desperate to find more apple pickers. The season is in full swing But with the borders closed, fewer seasonal workers can get here. MSD schemes like "5k to… Audio

Orchardists say they're facing the biggest labour crisis they've ever seen due to border closures and Covid-19.

They've been crying out for more workers for months and that's despite offering a… Video, Audio

It's been an extraordinary day with the government and health and emergency services dealing with the decision on whether to shift Covid-19 alert levels, and three significant earthquakes offshore.

… Video, Audio

Gisborne residents say there are extraordinary waits to sit driving tests, putting the brakes on people getting jobs.

But driving test operators insist more testing spaces and staff coming to deal… Audio

A small rural district in the North Island is facing rates rises like it hasn't seen in years as it grapples with an historic lack of investment.

The Central Hawke's Bay District Council mayor… Audio