Stories by Niva Chittock
News
Tairāwhiti flood damage 'will take about a year' to clean up
Tokomaru students had been back in flood-repaired classrooms for just weeks, while two residents lost a campervan they were living in while their house was fixed after last year's floods.
'Excited', 'too late', 'free to go out': Christchurch reacts to Covid-19 changes
With vaccine mandates for many workers lifted in under two weeks and QR code scanning soon to be a thing of the past, RNZ took to the streets of Ōtautahi to find out what people thought of the…
Organisers of car meet where tanker was damaged say they couldn't control crowd
A group who helped to run a Waikato car meet, in which some of the attendees attacked a milk tanker, say they do not condone that behaviour.
'Behaviour is unacceptable': Police seek offenders after milk tanker damaged
An investigation has been launched into the smashing of a milk tanker's windscreen and milk being tipped onto a road at the weekend.
Bottles for cash buy-back scheme back on the cards
A shake-up to the country's waste system is hoped to cut down the near 13 million tonnes of waste New Zealand sends to landfill every year.
The price of ecocide: Govt urged to support criminalisation
A conservation group is calling on the government to push for mass environmental destruction, or ecocide, to be declared a crime by the International Criminal Court.
Cranmer Square protesters told to leave by Thursday
Protesters illegally camped at Christchurch's Cranmer Square for nearly four weeks have been asked to leave by Thursday.
Canterbury protest disruption: 'Give us our once-peaceful homes back'
Residents who live near the occupied Cranmer Square anti-mandate protest in Christchurch say the ongoing disruption and noise is callous and selfish.
Environment Ministry considers national database to register old landfill sites
The Ministry for the Environment is considering creating a national database and fund to protect vulnerable old landfill sites.
'Institutional bias' a concern as coronial court hearing on mosque terror attacks ends
A coronial court heard from the Human Rights Commission and the terrorist's lawyer, in the final day of a scope hearing on the Christchurch terror attacks yesterday.
Islamic groups highlight 'significant' online extremism in NZ
The main focus at the hearing yesterday was on the impact of digital platforms, and this morning the terrorist's lawyer and the Human Rights Commission are expected to make submissions.
Christchurch terror attacks: Coronial hearing continues with more submissions
Islamic groups and first responders are expected to make submissions to the coroner's scope hearing on the Christchurch terror attacks today.
Financial support relieves hospitality, but future uncertainty remains
Decimated after two years of Covid-19 restrictions, the hospitality sector describes the latest financial support being offered by the government as encouraging but too late for some to survive.
Record noise complaints in Canterbury ahead of Orientation Week
Residents are being asked to keep it down as Christchurch City Council had a record number of noise complaints lodged at the end of last year.
'The law has failed': Cranmer Square residents say protesters camping illegally
Cranmer Square residents say Christchurch City Council is quick to send notices for branches hanging outside their property, but is sitting quiet while protesters are on their doorstep.
Thousands of litres of oil from factory fire removed from Canterbury rivers
"...tay away from visibly oiled areas. Residual oil is likely to remain in the Cam/Ruataniwha [River] and Kaiapoi River upstream from the Williams Street bridge in Kaiapoi for the next few weeks."
NZ to attend UN environment assembly session
New Zealand will be taking part in commemorating 50 years of the United Nations Environment Programme this year, with a delegation possibly travelling to Kenya for the event.
White Ferns to use local prowess for World Cup games
The Women's Cricket World Cup is set to begin next month in Aotearoa, after being postponed by a year because of the pandemic.
NZ wetlands: Climate 'heroes' need to double in size - campaign
A group of non-governmental organisations are calling for Aoteroa's natural wetlands to be doubled in size by 2050 - only 10 percent, or 249,000 hectares, of Aotearoa's wetlands remain untouched.
Dive squad recover body after ute and trailer plunge into Otago lake
A body has been recovered from inside a submerged ute in Lake Dunstan, near Cromwell.
Salvation Army Queenstown area community hub nears funding goal
The Salvation Army is just $370,000 short of the $9.9m needed to build a new community hub in Frankton to support the area's rapidly growing community.
'It's been really disruptive' - Christchurch locals fed up with Tamaki protests
Brian Tamaki's Destiny Church and the Freedoms and Rights Coalition have taken up residence in a central Christchurch park - and they're not doing it quietly.
Canterbury holds on to 50-year record of highest temperature
New Zealand had the hottest national average temperature last year, but the single highest temperature recorded in the country remains unbeaten.
Brian Tamaki speaks at Christchurch anti-vaccine protest
Tamaki has been charged three times after speaking at large protests in breach of Auckland's level three rules.
Million dollar homes: Average house price exceeds $1m for first time
There was a 27.6 percent growth over 2021, breaking the previous record set in 2003 with a 24.4 percent growth.