Natalie Akoorie is a senior reporter based in Waikato reporting crime and justice issues nationally.
Natalie first joined the Herald in 2011 and has been a journalist in New Zealand and overseas for 28 years, more recently covering health, social issues, local government, and the regions. She began her career at the Waitomo News in 1995 having graduated from a two-year Diploma of Media Arts at the former Waikato Polytechnic. In 1999 she moved to London and worked as chief reporter and deputy news editor at the Hounslow Chronicle and its stable of newspapers, covering the police beat and council. She also freelanced at the Guardian and for a national educational magazine in Cambridge. Natalie has also worked at a business travel magazine in Sydney, the Rodney Times, Whakatāne Beacon, Sunday News, and Waikato Times where she was deputy chief reporter before joining the Herald as a regional reporter in Hamilton in 2011. After a stint as Local Democracy Reporting editor at RNZ in 2021, Natalie returned to the Herald as Open Justice deputy editor in 2022. She has been nominated for several national media awards over the years including Newspaper Story of the Year in 2010 and Reporter of the Year in 2018, and she won a Regional Journalism Scholarship in 2020. In 2023 Natalie was named Runner-Up Regional Journalist of the Year. Natalie has covered a wide range of rounds throughout her 28-year career and has a special interest in the regions, women's health, disability rights, social issues, and in seeking answers for patients in a failing health system. You can contact Natalie at natalie.akoorie@nzme.co.nz.
Who are the five teen killers trying to get their life sentences quashed?
They each murdered a person when they were teenagers. Now the men want finite sentences.
Bullied manager awarded $137,000 for workplace abuse
Magnum Hire owner created 'toxic' work culture with regular abuse and tantrums.
'You smell like a dead rat': Support worker to disabled woman
Ms A's ex-husband denied he complained about the images to ruin her career.
'Crisis point': How one woman's life fell apart and why she's now being deported
Woman's trauma, mental health acknowledged but not enough to keep her from being deported.
'Bled every cent': Mum secretly used $130k of relatives' money
Faith Fruean took advantage of the migrants, using their wages to live a bling lifestyle.
Gang associates guilty of murdering 27-year-old who 'narked' on Mongrel Mob captain
Jury returns unanimous guilty verdicts in case of Bay of Plenty man Eli Johnson's murder.
Male nurse who wanted to see caregiver in bikini at work guilty of sexual harassment
Now the male nurse has been found guilty of professional misconduct.
Employment advocate invovled in bitter work dispute
Embattled employment advocate Allan Halse's work with Hamilton Culturesafe has ended.
Crown Solicitor's management style undermined staff trust
Jacinda Hamilton deeply regrets actions that had a hurtful impact in her workplace.
'Deliberate deception': Pharmacist ordered extra meds, then sold them online
Jayant Patel was caught when the pharmacy owner noticed extra medication and viewed CCTV.
'Disgraceful conduct': Midwife struck off for claiming $200,000 for fake services
Sanaz Khodaverdian tried to mislead auditors by altering and creating false documents.
Rude CEO swore at employee and ridiculed her in front of others
An HR manager also bullied the woman, who has now been awarded $36k in compo.
Client pursued by Westpac after lawyer stole loan money to pay off debts
Colin Chu wanted to buy an investment property. He lost the house and now owes $1.3m debt.
'Nazi scumbag liar': Nurse's rant after person complained about anti-vax post
Denise Perkins used her role as a nurse to deter people from getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
Nurse who had relationship with married father of newborn guilty of misconduct
A nurse shouldn't be suspended for having relationship with baby's father, lawyer says.
Student claims teacher sexually abused him for three years
A former student of Pinky Green's has broken his silence on the sexual abuse he suffered.
Girl as young as 6 among gymnastics coach's victims
As a gymnastics coach, Gregory Pask lured his victims by building a trusted reputation.
A house fire, rubbish, unmown lawns - debt collector to chase tenant
A tenant owes more than $10k to ex-landlord for rent arrears, damage and rubbish clean-up.
'He's crazy': Doctor whose competence questioned lashes out
Teimur Youssefi made disrespectful comments about a former boss after concerns raised.
Govt department used protected Family Court information to suspend employee
MSD should have sought permission from the court first.
Strangulation: The cruel method of control that can be a precursor to murder
New Zealand introduced a strangulation law five years ago. Is it making any difference?
Shot at 12 times: Meth likely aggravated man's mental state before fatal police shooting
Jerrim Toms, 29, died near Wellsford 12 days before his daughter was born.
'Oh shut up': Lawyer's outburst discourteous and disrepectful
Lawyer who lost composure during heated teleconference fined over unsatisfactory conduct.
Swept away by the current: Teen who drowned in river was a poor swimmer
Valentino Laki was with friends and family when he got into difficulty in 2018.
The ultimate betrayal: Woman's shocking find on husband's phone
"This was my husband who had no reason to do this other than to satisfy his own sickness."
Who are the victims of unsolved murders in the past 20 years?
The impact of unresolved homicides on families is devastating.
Privacy blunder: Whaikaha mistakenly sent IHC names of nine complainants
One of the complainants whose name was disclosed to IHC has called for an investigation.
School counsellors win $1.8m in damages for workplace stress over student suicides, deaths
Guidance counsellors spent decade in legal battle with high school over workplace stress.
'Intelligent option': Ex-IHC board member suggests unhappy residents move
Shelley Payne wrote a scathing open letter defending IHC/IDEA Services, slating Whaikaha.
Landlords ordered to pay mum $5k for unlawful eviction
She was very surprised to see her former home advertised only days later.
Doctor failed to disclose police charges and Australian investigation
GP struck off a second time for criminal convictions including assault and dishonesty.
'Racked by shame': Dilworth teacher struck off after sex with two students
Dilworth teacher Julia Brown was in her 30s when she had sex with two students.
'Heartbreaking': Man lived in windowless room before his death
An inquest into Joseph Bruce Carter's death is traversing issues in mental health care.
'I feel like I'm really going to kill you': Man told girlfriend locked in house
Sean Wilson savagely attacked his partner, beating and kicking her in the head and face.
Defamation claim against Stuff, reporter largely unsuccessful
The verdicts are in, in the trial for defamation against Stuff but is the case over?
'Be wary of scams': Businessman loses $10,000 in Marketplace con
He sold $10,000 worth of car parts but the proof of payment was fake.
Court told angry ticket holders result of event organisers' own actions
Defence claims no defamation in articles by Stuff about Cherry Tree Festival cancellation.
News stories resulted in online abuse, lawyer in defamation case claims
Plaintiffs say they suffered mental anguish and reputational damage following stories.
Calls for IHC chief to resign as complaints review finds distrust
Review of complaints policies finds IDEA Services distrusted by some clients and families.
Day of violence: Gang members on trial for murder, assault, robbery
Mobsters accused of killing man who wouldn't give them drugs and attacking two others.
'Deliberate neglect': Sharemilker broke the tails of 116 cows
Four cows had to have their tails amputated because their injuries were so severe.
Man who waited 12 weeks for urgent colonoscopy given terminal prognosis over the phone
The man, in his 70s, was distressed at not receiving the devastating news in person.
The girl next door: OnlyFans star Lisa Lewis loses in stoush with neighbour
Lisa Lewis has moved out of the house next to Cosmopolitan Club after bitter battle.
Death of disabled woman who choked on leftovers was preventable
WorkSafe investigated the death but decided not to prosecute.
Can hair loss clinic owner call himself ‘Dr Raj’ if he’s not NZ registered medical doctor?
His website included a reference to Dr Raj being a third-generation doctor.
'Drug-seeking': Patient accused by GP after breasts examined without consent
GP threw shade on patient's mental health and said she was 'doctor-shopping' for drugs.
Woman with dementia sent home from hospital despite warnings
Alzheimer's patient couldn't tell staff what day it was, but they sent her home - twice.
'I love us madly and badly to pieces': Nurse's secret affair with prisoner
The nurse and prisoner used sexually explicit language and had a physical encounter.
Woman with known allergy dies from anaphlyaxis after being given penicillin
Five checks for an allergy before prescribing and administering antibiotics were missed.
'I could just see her blood pressure drop': Son's final moments with dying mum
Now, 13 years on, a coroner will decide how Carmen Walker died during a medical procedure.
Miscarriage of justice: Young mum's flight attendant dreams crushed
An abusive relationship led Danielle Tumahai to drugs and a conviction.
Nurse tasked with checking on mentally unwell man worked double shift
Addicted to synthetic cannabis, he was sent to a care home near a 'tinny house'.
Architectural designer struck off building register for two years
The architectural designer was stuck off the Licensed Building Practitioners' register.
'Silo' effect meant doctors failed to detect cause of Carmen Walker's death
Pathologist claims Carmen Walker's death at Waikato Hospital 13 years ago was iatrogenic.
Surgeon burned his note of medical procedure that killed patient
Surgeon in charge of Carmen Walker's procedure grilled over volume of fluid in bucket.
Hospital disposed of potential evidence in patient death case
Blood drained during the procedure was thrown away with other disposable waste.
'Dad never got over Mum's death': Carmen Walker inquest begins
Carmen Walker died during a procedure to treat melanoma.
'Tears on his cheeks': Cause of patient death still haunts family, doctor
The doctor who blew the whistle on a hospital death claims the case was covered up.
Treatment for man who died of lung cancer delayed in error
A man died of lung cancer after a mass on his lung was found but not followed up.
'Terribly sorry': Troubled doctor prescribed drugs for family but took them himself
The former top public hospital doctor's actions amounted to professional misconduct.
When a house clean goes wrong: A damaged sink and bill that's three times the quote
The cleaning company has now been ordered to pay up after damaging a copper sink.
'Bed blocking': Elderly stranded in hospital without power of attorney
EPOA misuse concern raised in Law Commission review of Adult Decision-Making Capacity Law.
'Pig poo': Piggery under investigation over effluent discharge
Waikato Regional Council said the court order was unprecedented for the region.
Man has less than five years to live after GP missed cancer signs on two occasions
The HDC found earlier treatment could have stopped the salivary gland cancer's spread.
No criminal inquiry into doc who imported restricted drugs and gave them to drug-seeker
The doctor was suspended for the misconduct, but police are not prosecuting.
'Oh little angel': Psychologist sent intimate texts to patient
The psychologist told her patient she loved her during an exchange of 1000 messages.
Intellectually disabled man choked to death on uncut sausage in care home
A carer failed to clear the airway of an intellectually disabled man before she did CPR.
'Reeking' of fumes: Carpet layer's death due to toxic solvent
Ryan Mead died from toxic fumes after installing carpet.
'Home and income': But downstairs kitchen was unconsented
A real estate agent who misled a buyer has had part of her appeal upheld.
Doctor crashed into motorist after driving drunk on wrong side of the road
He did not check to see if anyone was injured.
Dolphin mating scene in documentary should have been PG
A complainant said a wildlife documentary that showed dolphins mating upset children.
'Collateral damage': Prisoner rights overlooked, urgent fix needed
The treatment of prisoners is under the spotlight in a report by the Chief Ombudsman.
'Overlooked': 4yo girl's diabetes missed twice before diagnosis
The family of a girl with Type 1 diabetes suffered stress after a delayed diagnosis.
'Vexatious': Restraining order imposed on controversial advocate
A judge said years of proceedings brought by Halse in one case were an abuse of process.
Outsourcing elective surgeries was costing Waikato DHB $25m a year
Public hospital hired consultant for $2.4 million to reduce $25m outsourcing bill.
Woman sent home from ED with chest pain died hours later of cardiac arrest
Her family felt her death could have been avoided if due diligence had been carried out.
Retired house inspector faces $700k liability on decade-old report
A former house inspector could be liable for half of a $700,000 leaky home claim.
Convicted architectural designer gets building licence back - and faces fresh complaint
His history of fines, suspensions and cancellations is not listed on the public register.
Young dad-to-be who raped sleeping woman gets sentence reduced
A man found guilty of raping a sleeping woman has had his sentence cut by one year.
Struck off doc who touched teens claims no sexual motivation
Tribunal: The teens should have been able to rely on him not to abuse their trust.