Kīngi Tūheitia, Tūrangi homicide and tree vaccinations: The big stories of August 2024

Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII. Photo / Māori TV

As the year draws to a close, the Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2024. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories from each month. Welcome to day eight: August.

Nationally, August 2024 was the month in which Kīngi Tūheitia Pōtatau Te Wherowhero VII died at the age of 69 – only a few days after his 18th koroneihana celebrations.

Also, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith issued an extradition order against entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, and meth-laced lollies were donated to Auckland City Mission, which then distributed them in food parcels.

Australian and New Zealand police announced they had arrested 190 people and seized more than $100 million worth of drugs in a week as part of a major transtasman operation.

In the Waikato, police launched a homicide investigation following the death of two people at a Tūrangi address. Another investigation has been launched following an unexplained death at a Waikato retirement village.

South Waikato mourned the death of local legend Alberico D’Andrea, 73, who brought a slice of la dolce vita to Tokoroa through Alberico’s Italian Restaurant. His family was unsure whether they would continue running the restaurant without him.

Meanwhile, New Zealand triathlete Hayden Wilde’s biggest fans watched his second Olympic campaign while “glued to their seats” in a living room on the other side of the world.

Bruce and Nita Wilde in their office, covered in clippings and photographs of their medal-winning grandson Hayden Wilde.

Wilde’s grandparents, Bruce and Nita Wilde collected “boxloads” of newspaper clippings and photos chronicling Wilde’s career and had the bubbles poured before the final ribbon was broken.

Minister for the Environment Penny Simmonds called in the controversial proposal to build a waste-to-energy plant in Te Awamutu, and an Instagram-famous Affenpinscher-Bichon Frise cross called Max had a brush with death after he was found paralysed, causing his “mum” to raise awareness about MRI for pets.

Also, Waipā District Council revealed local elm trees would “roll up their leaves” to be vaccinated against Dutch elm disease after the fatal and fast-spreading tree disease was discovered in the district in February and the Ohinemuri River in Karangahake Gorge turned orange.

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

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