Lauren Dickason, Te Huia train ban and kakapo: the big stories of July 2023

As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2023. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories each month. Welcome to day seven: July.

Nationally, July 2023 was dominated by the start of the Lauren Dickason trial.

Also, the Fifa Women’s World Cup kicked off, Kiri Allan resigned as Cabinet Minister, the Te Huia passenger train from Hamilton to Auckland was banned from travelling north of Papakura, and a gunman stormed an Auckland CBD building killing two people.

Meanwhile, in the Waikato, a 7-year-old truck fan received a birthday surprise of a lifetime and a fire destroyed popular ice-cream shop Hoops and Scoops.

Te Awamutu College students were having a ball and Fifa fever also arrived in Hamilton in shape of the Copper Queens.

Other big stories in the region were:

Waikino dog Bodhi goes missing

A 5-year-old short-haired German pointer-heading dog named Bodhi went missing after strangers put it in their car.

There was no trace of the dog for nearly three weeks, but thanks to the local newspaper, Bodhi was reunited with his owner.

Although the story was shared online and on countless social media pages, it was the printed word that solved the case.

Bodhi was spooked by thunder, broke his collar and escaped, and the people who had rescued him off the road didn’t use Facebook, so had no idea about what was going on until they received the newspaper in the mailbox.

Bodhi was last seen on June 30 near Wakino Station Cafe being put into a red vehicle.

Pōkeno Whisky recruits NZ’s only cooper

Pokeno Whisky has recruited Scotsman Mike to craft the world’s first whisky casks made from tōtara wood.

Tawse is New Zealand’s only cooper, skilled in creating water-tight wooden vessels - like whisky barrels.

With Mike, in New Zealand, the passionate team of 14 at Pōkeno Whisky can create a truly local product, with every part of the whisky-making process done on-site.

Cooper Mike Tawse and Pokeno Whisky founder Matt Johns inspect a freshly-made cask. Photo / The Pokeno Whisky Co

Kākāpō make landfall in Waikato

The Waikato welcomed four new residents to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari near Cambridge: kākāpō males Bunker, Māhutonga, Ōtepoti and Motupōhue.

The feathered but flightless quartet is the first set of kākāpō in decades to live on the mainland and has been relocated from Whenua Hou Codfish Island near Rakiura Stewart Island as part of decade-long efforts to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.

In September, Bunker, Māhutonga, Ōtepoti and Motupōhue were joined by a kākāpō sextett.

A month later, the first kākāpō made an escape attempt from the fenced sanctuary, followed by further escapes from other kākāpō which ultimately led to three of the birds having to move out.

Department of Conservation Kākāpō Recovery operations manager Deidre Vercoe introduces Manawanui to the crowd at Sanctuary Mountain. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer

Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined NZME in 2021 and is writing for the Waikato Herald.

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