James Baker

Te Ao with Moana

Protest, Racism, Sovereignty - What's happening on Auckland's Maunga?

30/3/2021

What’s the latest in the stand-off between the Tūpuna Maunga Authority and disgruntled residents on the slopes of Ōwairaka (Mt Albert)? James Baker investigates

Te Ao with Moana

Little known hearing loss leaving Pasifika and Māori voices silenced

15/5/2021

Across Aotearoa, possibly thousands of tamariki with Auditory Processing Disorder, a hearing condition that often goes undetected, are struggling in the classroom. James Baker talks to the whanau affected and a man trying to build awareness, and bring treatment to those left behind.

Te Ao with Moana

Boys getting the male role models needed in their lives

4/3/2021

Big Buddy is making a big difference for young males in Aotearoa. It's a kaupapa that matches kind-hearted men with boys who do not have a father in their lives. James Baker meets those sharing their time and making a big difference.

Te Ao with Moana

Artist on a mission to change street art culture in Tāmaki Makaurau

16/5/2021

Does a great work of art always sit in a gallery? Laken Whitecliffe is a man on a mission to change attitudes on street art in our biggest city.

A Darker Truth: The anti-Semitism behind Billy Te Kahika's conspiracy theories

He’s declared 5G a bio-engineered virus and that the United Nations is inspired by Satanic teachings. But as Billy Te Kahika’s wilder conspiracies grabbed headlines, his rhetoric touched on a darker subject.

On June 4, Billy Te Kahika took to Facebook live, as he regularly does, to deliver a sermon to his devotees.

By now these “prayer studies” are nothing new. In May, Te Kahika went viral with videos that weave scripture, 5G, Covid-19, Harry Potter, vaccines, the Labour government, Bill Gates
Stuff •

Whānau the secret of success for Te Ao With Moana

Te Ao With Moana looks at what it takes to begin protecting an inner city stream by giving it the same rights and privileges as a person.

When Māori Television presenter Moana Maniapoto’s son Hikurangi Kimiora Jackson gets in her ear, she listens.

Former Marae reporter Jackson is the man in the producer’s chair on Maniapoto’s award-winning current affairs show Te Ao With Moana.

“It’s not often that you end up working with your kids,” she says. “It’s a different dynamic, but we recognise the s
Stuff •

Questions raised after charity's property gamble leaves holes in services

In June, the Cerebral Palsy Society cut services and staff, surprising members. The society threatened members and removed staff that spoke out.

The former board of one of the country’s richest charities, tasked with helping those with cerebral palsy, loaned millions to property companies that have failed to provide a return for the charity despite using the money to invest in Auckland’s red-hot housing market.

Questions are being raised by charity members and experts over the deals, which saw
NZ Herald •

Neighbour saw fatal attack on gang leader

From her kitchen window, a witness at the High Court in Whanganui told the jury yesterday she saw Craig Rippon attacked "with rage, with anger, with force".

Tyrone Peter Madams, Matthew Thomas Madams, Kevin Roy Madams and two youths are charged with the murder of Mr Rippon, 57, in Whanganui on November 8, 2015.

They are also charged with participating in a criminal organisation. They have denied the charges.

Margaret Payton, a neighbour of Mr Rippon, told the Crown she saw a scuffle on the la
Stuff •

Burn survivors embrace their scars

Heather Stewart is grateful for her burns.

Surrounded by 20 ladies at the Fourth Annual Women's Burn Survivor Retreat along Karioitahi Beach, Waiuku, the giggling gals receive facials while exchanging dirty jokes, punctuated by roaring laughter.

It’s not the solemn picture you might expect at the three-day event devoted to the mental healing of severe trauma.

Their stories are as different as their skin, some women have spent decades hiding scars from glaring eyes. For them, this weekend is a
Stuff •

Employee jailed for stealing $370k from Waikato school

Janine Anderson, 51, was the financial officer for Harrisville Primary School, she would steal stole $370k over eight years.

A woman who created fake invoices and swapped account numbers to steal $370k from a north Waikato primary school has been sentenced to one month of imprisonment for every $10,000 she stole.

Tūākau woman, Janine Anderson, 51, was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment at Manukau District Court on Thursday for charges relating to the theft of $370,385 in funds over eight year
Stuff •

Child's foot impaled despite months of safety complaints to Kāinga Ora

WARNING: This story contains an image some might find distressing

A Tūākau mother living in social housing has been left furious after her daughter’s foot became impaled on an unsafe fence despite months of complaints to Kāinga Ora.

As they waited the agonising 40 minutes for emergency services, Chantelle Christie did what she could to keep her daughter's mind from the pain.

“I told her, ‘It's going to be OK, baby – just breathe.’ She was really brave but at one point she had a bit of a freak
Stuff •

Coronavirus: Kiwi father's battle to see dying son pays off after travel agent comes to his aid

Robert van der Hayden, 60, has been reunited with his son Chris, 37. He is pictured here with his grandson Cooper, 6, and 5-month-old granddaughter Luka.

After struggling with Australian federal border authorities, and dodging a questionable charter flight deal, a Pukekohe father has sidestepped trans-Tasman travel restrictions to be reunited with his dying son.

It was a moment of disbelief when Robert van der Heyden stepped out of his quarantine to embrace his son outside his Perth hotel.

Th
Stuff •

Family on the brink of recovery from crippling hardship struck by tragedy

John, 55, and Michael, 21, Price say it would be hard to find a person kinder than Christine, 57.

After a crippling accident, a Pokeno family on the brink of recovery have been struck again by tragedy when their wife and mother died from a sudden brain aneurysm.

As she waited for the ambulance, the biggest concern for Christine Price, 57, was that her children would worry about her.

That’s just the sort of person she was, her family says. Someone selfless, who adored the children she cared fo
Stuff •

Duo charged for hundreds of child sexual abuse videos

Murray Pengelly, 59, and Colin Kenneth Bradley, 65, shared a laptop containing hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse.

Two men have been charged with possessing hundreds of videos of sadistic child sexual abuse with children as young as one.

Murray Pengelly, 59, and Colin Kenneth Bradley, 65, will jointly appear in Papakura District Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to six charges of possessing 1000 videos and eight images that depicted child sexual abuse and bestiality.

According