Taranaki Daily News
When love goes wrong
The lime tree lives but it has reason to be furious with me. It started off with such good intention, a wellmeaning attempt to save it from an invasion of bugs. Except my spray job somehow went awry and killed a year’s worth of new growth at the same...
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Councils: No, yes, no, maybe
Taranaki’s four elected councils have signalled their collective willingness to get on board with the Government’s local body reforms. However, they appear divided on how they would approach it. Each council – New Plymouth, Stratford, South Taranaki...
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Red sky in mourning for departing fine spell
It has been an autumn to remember in Taranaki but the clear, sunny days look to be giving way to less settled weather as winter approaches. The red sky across the region yesterday morning may have given weather watchers a hint things are about to...
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Motorsport project sunk by compliance
A key component of the ambitious Stratford Park project has collapsed after the Taranaki Motorsport Facility Charitable Trust announced it was stopping all attempts to develop its proposed facility. The decision follows multi-year compliance battles...
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‘Miracle’ drug changes boy’s life
April Peterson was driving from New Plymouth to Auckland when she received a life-changing phone call. Trikafta, a medication for cystic fibrosis (CF) that costs $1000 a day, was finally going to be funded for children aged 2 and over. Her husband,...
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NP mayor skirted rules to get CE
New Plymouth mayor Max Brough worked behind the backs of councillors and alongside outgoing boss Gareth Green to make sure Steve Ruru was appointed interim chief executive at council. Documents released under the Local Government Official Information...
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Work starts on sports hub
Athletes and sports clubs will wait another two years before the Tūparikino Hub opens as foundational work ramps up on the major indoor sports facility next to the New Plymouth racecourse. Taranaki construction company Clelands took over the site...
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Licence used in fraud spree
Waitara teacher Rob Wheatley got a big shock when his One NZ bill for November arrived, showing expensive top-of-therange items had been added to his account on credit. This included an iphone 17 Pro for $2576, a UE Hyperboom party speaker for $623,...
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School chemical blown up
A loud boom put an end to a near sevenhour emergency situation following the discovery of an “unstable” chemical at New Plymouth Boys’ High School yesterday. Students were evacuated to school fields just after 9am, when a science teacher discovered...
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Crunch on to keep costs down
Though many Taranaki food businesses have so far kept a lid on prices through the fuel crisis, many say the pressure from extra fuel and delivery costs is a challenge. The Baking Company in Stratford had been absorbing the increases, manager Lynn...
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The chronicles of farming
When accountant Leanne Blakelock started rearing calves as a new-to-farming wife, she never expected it to become her passion. But an online blog she began, to keep her townie friends abreast of farm life, grew into the Calf Chronicles, where she...
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Jury finds pair guilty of murder
Friends and family of a man known as Yip Yip erupted with applause and cheers as a jury found two men guilty of his murder after two days of deliberations. Stefan Hannon-McGinn, 28, of Hamilton, and his best mate, Ethan Howe, 28, of Huntly, had denied...
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Gas shortage halts investment
A commercial laundry business servicing hospitals and rest homes says worsening gas shortages are freezing major investment because it no longer knows how long supply will last. Inglewood-based La Nuova is among many Taranaki businesses reliant on...
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NPDC top job scrutinised
Concerns have been raised within the New Plymouth District Council about continuing with an interim chief executive as Government reform becomes a reality. At an extraordinary council meeting yesterday, councillor Dinnie Moeahu openly questioned...
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Study eyes old wells’ future
Hundreds of old oil and gas wells scattered across Taranaki could find a second life as a heating source for homes, greenhouses, industrial processes and pools instead of being left permanently plugged and abandoned. The possibility is being explored...
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Eagle, birdie, back to work
Taranaki’s four councils are preparing to seek public feedback as they work through the Government’s push for local authority reform and possible amalgamations. The mayors of New Plymouth, Stratford and South Taranaki, along with Taranaki Regional...
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Rising diesel costs hitting Taranaki harder: economist
Surging diesel prices and repeated Awakino Gorge closures are hitting Taranaki harder with businesses facing mounting costs and uncertainty, a leading economist says. Speaking to the New Plymouth District Council’s Going for Growth committee,...
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Ain’t no mountain high enough
The first time Mike Andrews attempted to get to the summit of Mt Everest, he was chasing a place in the history books. The second time, he was chasing the challenge – could he take on the world’s tallest peak and win? In the end, it wasn’t the mountain...
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Union pushes for new station
The union representing professional firefighters has taken its push for a fire station in Bell Block to the New Plymouth District Council. At Wednesday’s extraordinary council meeting, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union New Plymouth branch...
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Amalgamation ideas flowing
Taranaki’s four council leaders will start the process of local government reform when they meet tomorrow, with all agreeing on the need to move fast before change is forced. On Tuesday, Resource Management Act Reform Minister Chris Bishop gave...
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Overnight convoys allowed
Overnight convoys on weekdays have been announced as a way to manage traffic access through the slip-plagued section of state highway in Awakino. A massive slip caused by heavy rain, which occurred about halfway through the Awakino Gorge, had resulted...
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Business still owes over $1m
A fire sale of stock from one of Taranaki’s most iconic appliance stores has done little to mitigate the money its directors owe. While liquidators appointed to oversee the demise of Mason Appliances managed to recoup some money, about $1.5 million...
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Cleanup effort stuns digger driver
For digger operator Matt Hareb, the scale of the Awakino Gorge cleanup was obvious even before he reached the main slip that closed State Highway 3 a fortnight ago. “There was a lot of water, mud everywhere,” he said. The Taranaki-based contractor...
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Ex’s damning testimony
A former long-term girlfriend of murderaccused Stefan Hannon-mcginn has given evidence at his trial about two guns appearing at her house in the days after a man was shot and killed at a remote settlement east of Taranaki. Veronica Peebles said in the...
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Popular couple to decamp
A Labour Weekend rush more than two decades ago gave Ian and Teresa Hayston an immediate taste of what life at the Urenui Beach Camp would be like. They had moved in only a week before the 2002 public holiday, after selling their house in Levin and...
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LNG terminal is ‘critical’
The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce has urged the Government to “proceed decisively” with a liquefied natural gas terminal, saying it is critical to stabilising energy supply and boosting business confidence for the country. In a letter to Energy...
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Car painting a gift that keeps on giving
When Emma Watson was 8 years old she painted a picture of a Ferrari so it could be auctioned to raise funds for Camp Quality. Imagine her surprise when a decade later she discovered her picture had been auctioned off each year. And now they wanted her...
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NZ surgeons refuse surgery
Nichola Smith was told her symptoms were “all in her head”. Now, she’s heading to Australia to fix a condition New Zealand surgeons won’t touch. Smith has Nutcracker syndrome, which is so rare no-one in New Zealand will perform the operation that will...
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Twist on tradition
Making a batch of Anzac biscuits may be on the cards this weekend, so today I’ve shared my daughter’s chocolate version of the classic biscuit for something a little different (or you might prefer to stick to the traditional version). Alongside that,...
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Anzac Day honours for former journalist
A former Taranaki reporter, Harry Dansey, is among the service members being honoured in a unique collaboration between Air New Zealand and Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum. This Anzac Day, flight NZ101 from Auckland to Sydney will...
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State highway disappears
The full scale of a slip in the Awakino Gorge has been revealed, as State Highway 3 at the Awakino Gorge north of New Plymouth remains closed. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) released aerial images showing one of the worst-hit sections of the...
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Point-blank murder claim
In the early hours of October 11, 2023, murder accused Stefan Lee Hannon-mcginn, 28, and his best mate Ethan Howe, 27, trudged several hundred metres across marshy farm land armed with a shotgun and hunting rifle. Under darkness, they called...
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MP takes long way home
For Taranaki-king Country MP Barbara Kuriger, a routine trip home turned into an 11-hour expedition, after State Highway 3 through Awakino Gorge was closed due to slips. Kuriger was one of hundreds of motorists returning to Taranaki from the north who...
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Night sky photos go viral
Brendan Larsen spent years slowly building his reputation as a nationally respected astrophotographer but it was when he started showing how he did it that his profile shot into the stratosphere. Astrophotography is the photography of astronomical...
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Sweet move sees chess prodigy win silver
A block of Whittaker’s chocolate proved the right fuel for one of New Plymouth’s brightest chess talents at the Oceania Youth Chess Championships in Christchurch. The sugar boost paid off for 10-year-old Geetham Addagada, who powered through long days...
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Chong refuses to take part
The under-fire New Plymouth deputy mayor Murray Chong refused to participate in a council workshop yesterday, instead choosing to watch proceedings from the chamber’s public gallery. The Huinga Taumatua workshop on the draft council Tiriti Outcomes...
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An electrifying lifestyle
In the face of soaring fuel costs and rising power and food bills, a New Plymouth woman is reaping the benefits of going electric. Jenni Hammonds, who set about electrifying her life about six years ago, hasn’t bought petrol for six years, and her...
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When you’re 100 going on 13
Edna Mccaul turns 100 today but doesn’t feel a day older than when she left school to help her father on their Kelly Rd farm in Lepperton. “I didn’t go to high school. I left school at 13. The boys went to war and I left school and helped milk,” she...
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Out with the old, in with a view
Demolition of the Metro Plaza in New Plymouth’s central business district remains on track to be finished in the middle of year. A New Plymouth District Council spokesperson said contractors have encountered no unforeseen issues to date and progress...
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Elite longboarding event treat
Taranaki locals will get a rare opportunity to see elite longboarding on their home turf in June, with world-class surfers dropping in at Fitzroy Beach for a World Surf League qualifying event.
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Deputy mayor defends handling of NPDC meeting
It has caused division in council ranks but New Plymouth deputy mayor Murray Chong has defended his handling of a controversial speaker peddling falsehoods about Māori land confiscations at a committee meeting he chaired. Chong has come under fire for...
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Rental prices ease while supply rises
Taranaki appears to have emerged from its years-long rental crisis with a glut of properties on the market as prospective tenants become more picky and slower to sign on the dotted line. New data from realestate.co.nz showed rental listings in...
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Tiny house to meet big need
Getting the tiny house into its new home was the easy part. Backing the big truck out is where the skill came in. Yesterday a granny flat completed its long journey from Kerikeri to St John the Baptist Anglican Church in Waitara. While the truck...
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First test for fresh coach
New Taranaki Airs basketball coach John White has a few nerves going into the side’s first game tomorrow but he’s confident they’ll meet the region’s expectations.
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ONE STEP, FIVE BENEFITS: Why this new SPF is a busy peron’s best friend
If you’ve ever looked at a 10-step skincare routine and thought, love the idea, simply don’t have the time, you’re not alone. Between work, school drop-offs, getting to the gym or just getting out the door, the ‘perfect’ morning routine can feel like...
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New home for Bev’s bike
A famous bicycle built for two has brought back wind-in-the-hair memories of motorcycling and a chance to make new ones for a Hāwera mum and daughter. In 2022, New Plymouth couple Kev and Bev Harvey made headlines with their e-bike-powered wheelchair,...
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Bowl facing tough gig to attract big acts
The nights of world-famous headline acts such as Fleetwood Mac and Sir Elton John performing at New Plymouth’s beloved Bowl of Brooklands could be over for the once-popular venue. New Plymouth District Council event attraction and business development...
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Uncertainty ends for Witt
The region’s economic development agency has hailed the Government’s decision to allow Taranaki’s polytechnic to operate independently as a vital step towards ensuring the skilled workforce essential for the region’s future. On Tuesday, the Government...
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Ex-rugby player takes on garlic
After years of chasing tries around the world, former Taranaki rep Bryce Robins is now chasing something a bit different, the perfect clove of garlic. Eight months into co-owning Longridge, a garlic processing business in Bell Block, Robins was...
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Stationery salesman moves on
Even after more than 50 years selling office supplies, Ross Phillips still remembers the buzz when he sold five flash calculators on his first day out on the road. It was April 1981. Although the Rennet Company in Eltham was not on his customer list,...
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School helps pump economy
The boss of the privately run Green School claims it has contributed about $93 million to the Taranaki economy since first opening its doors six years ago. While no formal economic assessment report had been commissioned recently, Green School New...
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Murdoch Street, Hāwera
Murdoch St snakes its way from Murray Ave to Rata St in Hāwera. The road was formed in the middle of the 1970s and named after John Bryson Murdoch, a long-serving chairman of the Hāwera County Council. His father emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland, to...
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Phoenix’s rising stars up first for Western
A Taranaki football club will compete on the national stage with New Plymouth’s FC Western set to play their first Central League match this weekend. And it’s going to be a tough one. They will travel to Hutt Valley to play the Wellington Phoenix...
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The cereal medallists of Taranaki
A couple of laps around their school field was all that was needed for schoolmates Flynn Semenoff and Fletcher Elliot to prepare for the Weet-bix Tryathlon. The two 9-year-olds from St Joseph’s School were among about 1400 Taranaki children who took...
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Neil Barnes gets ABS job
Taranaki Rugby boss Jimmy Fastier has confirmed the union will head to the market to find a new head coach after Neil Barnes elevation to senior assistant coach of the All Blacks yesterday. News of Barnes’ promotion came as little surprise, with many...
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All the fun in the autumn sun
For Dane van Greunen, the past month has been the kind of late-summer run surfers dream about. The South African-born surfing instructor, who runs Foam Dogz Surf School in New Plymouth, has been riding a wave of perfect conditions while teaching...
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Answers sought for Kāinga Ora renovation eviction
All 64-year-old grandmother Jenny Mills wants to stay in the Kāinga Ora home she has lived in for 18 years, but she will soon be forced out and barred from returning so the New Plymouth property can be renovated. Mills has lived in the property since...
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Rising fuel prices hit households
The bombs, missiles and drones are falling half a world away, but the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East is already hitting those in Taranaki who can least afford it. Jocelyn Merwood, the manager of the New Plymouth Budget Advisory Service,...
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A strike with colour and fun
Nurses at Taranaki’s public hospitals are trading their uniform scrubs for colourful ones in a ‘visibility strike’ to raise awareness about an ‘unsafe staffing crisis’ they want the Government to fix.
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New tune for piano business
Sales of homes worth $2 million or more are no longer an anomaly in parts of regional New Zealand, where seven-figure sales are on the rise. This year Feilding had its first $2m sale, as did Whanganui. In the past six months, six properties have sold...
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Driven to buy electric cars
Surging fuel prices are hitting Taranaki, causing a spike in electric car sales as transport and farming leaders warn of flow on costs through the region’s economy. Petrol in Taranaki has climbed above $3 a litre, up from around $2.50 two weeks ago,...
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New speed is not the limit
After years of lobbying, a dangerous New Plymouth intersection is finally slowing down, but campaigners say the fight for safer roads isn’t over. From today, the speed limit around the intersection of State Highway 3 and Egmont Rd, opposite the New...
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Every meal is agony for teen
A Stratford mother says she is at her wits end after a years-long struggle to secure life-changing surgery for her teenage son simply so he can eat without pain. Jesse Hereora, 17, (Ngā Puhi) lives with median arcuate ligament syndrome (Mals), a rare...
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Preserving motorsport history
In a New Plymouth motorcycle workshop in the early 1960s, Johnny Callender was solving a problem most people didn’t know existed. Farmers were constantly dragging their heavy road bikes into his shop, asking for modifications that could survive the...
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Ex-mayor issues warning
New Plymouth’s bid to lead council reorganisation in the region is being slammed by a former South Taranaki mayor as a reckless move that threatens to sink local government reform. New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) mayor Max Brough announced last...
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Spinning his way to Guinness World Record
A globe-trotting unicyclist knew he was home when he rode over the Waitōtara River on his way up New Zealand in a world record attempt. Stratford man Norman Joe is attempting to secure a place in the Guinness World Record book by travelling 29,000km...
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Op shop’s ball season mission
A north Taranaki charity wants to take the cost factor out of ball season for secondary-schoolers, so everyone has a chance to glam up for the occasion without breaking the bank. Alice Haworth, manager of Thrive by Northpoint second-hand store in Bell...
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Final failure
New Zealand’s latest quest to land a men’s white-ball World Cup crown fell flat in Ahmedabad. The Black Caps were pummeled by 96 runs by India in the 2026 T20 final yesterday. The home side put on 92 without loss in the six-over power play after...
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Mum’s recipe sparks a business
As if being an 8-year-old with type 1 diabetes isn’t hard enough, Eleanor Shaw also has to deal with the pain of ripping medical adhesive off her skin. Every 10 days, a new sensor. Every three days, a new pump site. For Eleanor that adds up to...
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TRC boss to also be chief of NPDC
Local body amalgamation in Taranaki has effectively started after it was announced Taranaki Regional Council boss Steve Ruru will also be the new interim chief executive of the New Plymouth District Council. With the largest reforms in local...
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Wake up with veteran pair
Further competition has emerged in Taranaki’s already challenging radio market, with two veteran broadcasters launching their own local breakfast show. Access Radio Taranaki general manager Tracey Blake and former New Plymouth District councillor...
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Interim NPDC boss imminent
An interim chief executive is expected to be named within days to take over the helm at the New Plymouth District Council. Council went behind closed doors at its extraordinary meeting yesterday to discuss the appointment of a replacement for outgoing...
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Creaming it in 52 flavours
Peita Kensington has so far got her personal challenge to make 52 new ice cream flavours in 2026 licked. The sole owner of Little Liberty Creamery for the past two years, after first buying into the Inglewood business in 2022, had been looking for a...
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