Stories by Conan Young
News
Rising rents drive surge in hidden homelessness
People are increasingly living in cars and garages in Christchurch as many struggle to keep up with spiralling rents.
New Covid-19 vaccination clinic in Ōtautahi booked out for 10 days
Demand is already running hot for Covid-19 vaccines at a clinic being run by Māori and Pasifika health providers in Ōtautahi.
Fish and Game shake-up: 'We do the job well', chair says
The organisation in charge of managing hunting and fishing has come out strongly against plans to modernise it and reduce its size.
Fears snapper populations could suffer if harvesting allowed again
A proposal to open the doors to widespread harvesting of snapper off the west coast of the North Island for the first time in 16 years has been slammed by recreational fishers.
Race against time to get traps up and protect endangered birds
It's all hands on deck in the north Canterbury town of Rangiora as volunteers race to replace 100 traps washed away in last month's floods.
Group asks US court to ban NZ seafood over Māui dolphins
A conservation group says the government is not doing enough to protect one of the world's rarest dolphins.
Combatting high nitrate levels: 'As farmers we've got to be honest'
A farmer in an area known as ground zero for high nitrate levels, is making fundamental changes to the way he farms in order to lessen his impact on water quality.
Police foiled two other mass shootings around 15 March
The news came today in Christchurch at the first conference held in New Zealand on violent extremism and terrorism and how to prevent it.
Christchurch Hospital beds empty due to lack of nurses - doctor
Medical staff at the hospital say a stretched workforce is now at breaking point.
Ashburton residents on alert as river threatened to breach stopbanks
Ashburton readied itself in case the unthinkable happened and its main river burst its banks yesterday. Conan Young spoke to residents as they prepared to evacuate.
Wāhine Māori Pathways prison programme: High hopes for reducing recidivism
Connecting with Māori roots in prison "may be the thing that will save your life", a former inmate says.
New app may revolutionise kids' epilepsy treatment
A New Zealand dietician has helped develop an app set to revolutionise the way some children are treated for epilepsy.
Nitrate levels linked to premature births now even lower
New research showing a strong link between nitrate in drinking water and babies being born prematurely deserves serious consideration by New Zealand health authorities, an expert says.
Demand so high for nitrate tests that some miss out
Some people queued for over an hour in the mid-Canterbury town of Leeston to have their water tested, while others had to be turned away.
Fishing companies stick with plans to bring in foreign crews
More fishing crew are on their way to New Zealand from Covid-19 hotspots such as Russia.
Protesters demand accountability over 'diabolical' state of Canterbury rivers
Protesters sang their displeasure about water quality up to those sitting inside the offices of the Canterbury Regional Council today.
Controls needed to protect animals from underwater noise
The Cawthron Institute says a lack of rules controlling underwater noise is putting at risk some of our most endangered mammals.
'We've set up a monster we can't do anything about'
Canterbury Regional Council is being accused of creating a monster that it can no longer control when it comes to degraded water quality in the region.
Canterbury homeowners to get free water check for nitrate levels
Canterbury authorities are offering free drinking water tests for homeowners in a bid to check for harmful levels of nitrate.
Pike River families say police told them charges were likely
Two families of Pike River mine victims say they have been told by police that charges over the disaster are likely.
Govt questioned over commitment to safe drinking water
A working group that was supposed to be looking at nitrates in water only met twice in 18 months and was recently disbanded.
Rugby bosses put brave face on as support dips for premier competition
Crowds at Super Rugby Aotearoa matches have so far failed to match the sellout audiences seen last year.
Boats straying into closed tarakihi fishing areas
The fishing industry is in the firing line over its failure to keep its promise to protect dwindling stocks of tarakihi.
Further work planned on nitrates in drinking water
The researcher behind a groundbreaking study showing potentially harmful levels of nitrates in drinking water is planning further work that will establish if there is a link with rates of bowel… Video
Therapeutic keto diet used to treat epilepsy: Calls for more funding
The mother of a seven-year-old boy diagnosed with untreatable epilepsy wants to see more money put into using the keto diet to treat the condition.