Craig Little
Bridge closure forces relatives to carry bodies on foot
Hawke's Bay hapū are at loggerheads with Wairoa District Council over the closure of a bridge which forces them to carry bodies nearly a kilometre on foot for burial at their urupā.
Patangata Bridge… Audio
Wairoa locals in shock after police targeted in shootings
The community of Wairoa is in shock after the police were targeted in two shootings over the weekend. Armed police are on patrol in the town until further notice, after a shotgun was fired at the home… Audio
Hawke's Bay leaders call for gang patch ban
Hawke's Bay mayors and the head of the regional council want gang patches banned, saying their communities are fed up with the proliferation of gang membership and violence over the past year, fuelled… Audio
Forestry 'gold rush' underway in Wairoa
Warnings a modern day gold rush is underway as productive farm land is sold to make room for lucrative forestry. Farmers and community leaders in Wairoa have become the latest group to raise concerns… Audio
Wairoa farmers latest to raise concerns over forestry expansion
Farmers and community leaders in Wairoa have become the latest group to raise concerns over the sale of farms to make room for lucrative forestry. Locals estimate around 10,000 hectares of the… Audio
NZ regional town house prices getting unaffordable - mayors
House prices in some small regional towns in the North Island have jumped by up to 30 per cent in the year to February. Kawerau, Wairoa and Ruapehu are all rising fast in the latest QV figures. But… Audio
Raupunga community distraught after graves smashed
A community in northern Hawke's Bay is in shock after vandals destroyed 20 or so headstones at a small cemetery. Kaye Wesley posted a Facebook video of her visit to the Raupunga urupa on the weekend… Audio
Tackling toxic algae bloom at Lake Tutira
Decades of failed attempts to clean up two contaminated lakes in Hawke's Bay is being given new hope following a 3 point 5 million dollar funding boost for a new project to clean them up. Lake Tutira… Audio
Eastland Groups CEO speaks to Wairoa council
Gates owner Eastland Group declined to be interviewed by Checkpoint and released a statement. Audio
Broken sluice gates muddy Hawke's Bay rivers
Wairoa District Council ratepayers are tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket due to broken sluice gates, which have caused silt to flow from the Waihi Dam into local rivers. Video, Audio
Auckland housing crisis affects the dead
Auckland's running out of places to house the living - and now the housing crisis is following us to the grave. Funeral director Craig Davis discusses the future of cemeteries in the city. Audio
No jobs for young adults - Opotiki and Wairoa mayors
The mayors of two areas whose young adults have been labelled the most "at-risk" in the country are blaming the lack of jobs and a lack of hope. Audio
Wairoa mayor hopeful town will move on from Affco
The Employment Court will rule today the meat company Affco acted unlawfully when it locked out staff at its Wairoa plant in Hawkes Bay. Audio
Wairoa, Gateway to the Galaxy?
While many small towns around New Zealand struggle to retain businesses, people and jobs - others like Wairoa in Hawkes Bay has its sights set on attracting new business from outer space. The town… Audio
New Zealand A to Z - Wairoa
The northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region, Wairoa is located on the northern shore of Hawkes Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the SouthWest of Mahia Peninsula. Bruce Kenyon, bus… Audio
