Kinleith Mill, GP shortage and a haka in Parliament: the big stories of November 2024

Te Pati Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke during the commission opening of the 54th Parliament in January, 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell

As the year draws to a close, 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 each month. Welcome to day 11: November.

Nationally, November 2024 was dominated by the controversial Treaty Principles Bill.

Tens of thousands of people opposing the bill marched to Wellington in convoys from Cape Reinga in Northland and Bluff in Southland as part of the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti (March for the Treaty).

Despite the protests, the bill passed its first reading in Parliament amidst heated debate. Te Pāti Māori MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke led a haka in opposition to the bill which saw her suspended from Parliament for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the Gangs Act 2024, including the ban on gang patches came into force and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivered the Government’s apology to survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care.

And NZME proposed shutting down 14 of its community newspapers due to declining advertising.

Oji Fibre Solutions proposed discontinuing paper production at Kinleith Mill in Tokoroa by 2025 to focus on pulp, affecting 230 jobs.

Kinleith Mill, near Tokoroa. Photo / Greg Bowker

Elsewhere in Waikato, the Medical Council workforce survey revealed the Health New Zealand district that covers Rotorua and Taupō has 63 general practitioners for a population of about 120,100. This is a ratio of 1900 people per GP, not all of whom work fulltime.

A man tried to invade the home of a 74-year-old Hamilton woman, but when the victim rang the police to report the incident, police told her they were too busy to come straight away.

Hamiltonian Amanda Shanley, 60, shared her story about being suddenly diagnosed with multiple myeloma. When she took part in Shave for a Cure, she was surprised by a special someone, who also shaved their head in support.

It took Amanda Shanley a whole hour before she could look at her shaved head.

The Coromandel was deemed top of the pops when Booking.com revealed that five local destinations were in the top 10 trending places in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Hauraki District Council’s annual report was described as a “warning shot to everyone” with the books showing a $17,208,000 deficit.

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

Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald

Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.