Carmen Hall is a news director for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist for 25 years.
Carmen has been with NZME for more than a decade and worked at daily and community newspapers across New Zealand. She covers business and general news with a particular interest in social issues. She is a dedicated newsgatherer who believes in telling stories that need to be told based on truth, fact, and empathy. She is a former Voyager Media Awards Regional Reporter of the Year. As a mother and grandmother, she is often on social media in her spare time talking to her mokos who live in the Southland and busy arranging trips back and forth. Other hobbies include reading and discovering places in the Bay of Plenty to explore with her dog Kelvin. You can contact Carmen at carmen.hall@nzme.co.nz
'A disgrace': Pensioner in her 70s has days left to find a new rental
'I have never seen it this bad for old people,' says desperate daughter.
It's not Auckland: The city where it takes 11.3 years to save a house deposit
The influence of 'wealth' on the property market is one suspected reason for high prices.
Mum's e-vehicle panic in four hours SH2 jam with sick child
Motorists are rescheduling their lives to allow for 'horrific' Tauranga delays.
'Catastrophic': Motorists livid over traffic delays on major state highway
'Man on crutches was walking faster than the traffic.'
'No idea how to look after a house': Bad tenants 'ruining' it for others
'A truth that nobody is willing to talk about or don’t have the guts to deal with.'
23,000 jobs on offer: Kiwifruit industry pins hopes on big harvest
After two bad seasons, the industry is forecasting a bumper crop
Landlords buckle under high interest rates as rental demand soars
House for rent gets 2224 clicks and is pulled from online site in days.
So you want to quit your job? How to get hired after 50
Recruiters' top tips for overcoming age discrimination in the employment process.
Best of Premium 2023: 'Freaks me out': Kiwi nurse 'clears $170k' in Australia, primary teacher makes $97k
Carmen Hall speaks to 8 NZ health workers and teachers chasing their dreams in Australia.
'Tough': Residential property sales plummet in 2023
'Finance is difficult to obtain, I have had quite a few property sales fall over.'
Best of Premium 2023: The 'unethical' tradie practice that's 'rife' in New Zealand
Some companies are "bypassing the significant training commitment".
Best of Premium 2023: 'Pension's not enough': 81 and still driving trucks
Some pensioners struggling to 'buy a bottle of milk'.
Best of Premium 2023: Meet the landlords who say owning residential rentals is 'almost unviable'
'A killer': Highly leveraged landlords forced out of rental market.
'We are all so happy': How a family of seven got on to property ladder
Meet the Kiwis who have defied the odds and own their homes.
'Don’t have the spare cash': Holidaymakers spending less in tourist hotspots
'Usually we would be booked out weeks in advance.'
Best of Premium 2023: $140k for five months' work: Meet Kiwis working in Aussie mines
Kiwis are cashing in on job opportunities over the ditch.
'Rust never sleeps and music never ages': Fan looks forward to Tauranga concert
'Music can take you back in an instance... it’s ageless.'
'Times are hard': Multiple families living together and taking on extra jobs
“When the purse strings are so tight you are having to cut back on food..."
'Stressed and struggling': The city where some are battling to make ends meet
An iwi provider has a waiting list and backlog for its social services for the first time.
Firefighters spending Christmas on Matakana Island after ‘beast’ of a blaze
The huge fire has been described as 'a beast' and like a 'taniwha'.
Stay away from Matakana Island and don't fly drones as blaze continues
Firefighters responded to a blaze on Matakana Island off the Bay of Plenty.
'Families feel so much pressure to buy': How to do Christmas on a budget
With finances tight, many families may need to approach festivities differently.
How to avoid a Christmas financial hangover lasting 'long after the fun is over'
'It is a time of giving, you don’t want to give yourself a headache in the new year.'
'Just lovely': Kindness pours in for man robbed of wallet, card after crash
'Frustration and worry is still there and we are trying to remain positive.'
'Despicable': Thief steals wallet of crash victim receiving CPR on roadside, $600 gone from account
'To be honest, I’m disgusted... how is that okay?"
'It’s about all of us': More Tauranga protests if Māori voices not heard
A "mana battle" is about to start in Tauranga as iwi mobilise.
Live: More than 1000 people march in Tauranga protesting 'anti-Māori' policies
Te Pāti Māori call it an “assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi”.
'Pushed out on to the streets': Tenants lose as landlords sell, migration soars
'My daughter and I will be couch surfing yet again.'
'Mana battle': Protest march set to slow traffic on Tauranga state highway
"We are protecting the mana of our language and the mana of our culture."
Looking for a new job? Why you should ask about pay - and how to do it
Tips on negotiating your salary and what to do if it ends up lower than you wanted.
Number 279 in the queue: Rates penalty notice has council's phone lines running hot
Council says collecting its own rates has been mostly positive - despite some criticism.
'Secrecy only benefits the employers': Should people's salaries be made public?
New figures show job listings featuring salaries have risen by about a third in a year.
'Professional dreamer': Life after battling perils of poverty, P and homelessness
'We put the lost and the lonely and the broken back together again.'
Can you afford a crisis? 7 savvy savers' tips for building an emergency fund
Tips from a beneficiary saving $10 a week, a student with $39k at 22, and a $1m family.
Revealed: What not to talk about in your next job interview
'Talk about it at offer – you don’t have to talk about it at application'
'Amazing tenancy demand': Build costs and interest rates hit $200m sold-out Tauranga development
'If we see a drop in interest rates next year then I think it will start to stimulate.'
'Hellishly dangerous': Row erupts after two-inch longline hook snags beachgoer
Man, dog and boogie boarder get caught up by fishing line.
'Overwhelmed with joy': Young couple on pathway to owning home
"I cried. We are so grateful and thankful for the opportunity.”
Heartbreaking: Kids make sacrifices to help mum and dad pay the mortgage
"Every single dollar that one can save is important."
His weekly mortgage payment hit $1000 a week. It was the last straw
About 80 per cent of fixed-term loans due to reprice in less than two years.
'Risking it all': The couple touring NZ to pitch new cafe app - face to face
'We put everything in storage and sold or donated pretty much everything else'
'Tarnished': How migrant exploitation cases are harming NZ's reputation overseas
The cost of living and crime are other turnoffs for skilled workers.
Trust pumps $10m into housing, Māori development, move to high-wage economy
"We’re looking at ways we can maximise the impact we’re having."
“A nice blue, National Party evening': Rutherford claims victory in Bay of Plenty
With 34,514 of the votes counted, Rutherford had 19,589 votes.
Boss 'blindsided': Migrants quit for jobs with better residency path under new rules
'We just have to roll with the punches and see what happens.'
'No place like home': Why record numbers of Kiwis have returned from Australia
The number of Kiwis returning home from Australia has jumped by 46 per cent.
Demolishing the construction gender gap: Inside the push to get more women tradies
'Having the right crew to work with' is key, says a 23yo woman with all-male colleagues.
'Massive workforce crisis ': Tradie skills shortage despite soaring apprenticeship numbers
More than $652 million has been paid to employers on Apprenticeship Boost.
Hipkins in Tauranga: Labour leader addresses five hot election topics
Hipkins: 'Watch this space ... there hasn’t been enough competition in the grocery sector'
Chris Hipkins hits Tauranga on campaign trail
The Labour leader is in blue territory today.
'Absolutely devastating': Homeless man's tents, treasured items stolen
Possessions worth thousands of dollars were stolen.
$200k-$300k a year: The workers doubling their money in Australia
Australia aggressively markets jobs with significant salaries and relocation packages.
Let's go party: Artist who turned David Seymour into Barbie Ken is just getting started
'I just wanted to put a little bit of happiness in the community.'
Heartbreaking choice: Mum 'trapped in motel' can't have all her kids to stay
'On a good day, it still tears us apart … we are on tenterhooks.'
'Gone to Aussie': Infrastructure workers ditch NZ for more money, year-round work
"We find it really, really hard to find skilled, drug-free staff."
'Landlords have left the industry': City's rental listings plummet
Fears mum-and-dad investors are being 'squeezed out'.
'Cop-out': Calls for 'lethargic' Crown to break Treaty settlement stalemate
'We're getting grumpy. We’ve been protesting since the start of 2016.'
Dairy's 'perfect storm': Farmers steeling for downturn say pain will be widespread
'The mental anguish is probably starting to have quite an impact on all farmers.'
'Destroyed': Fears Plan Change 33 could harm Mount's 'iconic character'
'Mount Maunganui is considered the jewel in Tauranga’s crown.'
'Clever and courageous': Sir Paul Adams receives top business honour
"Paul is a very clever and courageous businessman."
Iwi plans to import transportable homes for Māori living in 'appalling' conditions
The homes would have three bedrooms and cost up to $170,000.
'Amazing blessing': AI-enhanced Māori history short film premieres
A red carpet and 'Horiwood' sign greeted guests at the film's premiere in Tauranga.
'Just incredible': In-demand manufacturer's backlog goes from 22 to 100 weeks
Staff wanted for Rotorua export companies investing millions into equipment and expansion.
‘Totally unacceptable’: Sir Paul Adams on poverty, homelessness and NZ’s growing social divide
"The only way to succeed financially was to become well-qualified professionally."
Carmen Hall: : Don’t be afraid to change power companies to save money
Opinion: It's a good idea to shop around for the best deal.
'Mass exodus': Workers leaving for Aussie as new home builds fall further
The Australian construction industry needs 500,000 workers in the next four years.
'We shouldn’t have to live like this': Struggling seniors turn off home heating
Some 'don’t have power in their home' because they don't think they can afford it
'It’s shocking': Illness fears as pensioners scrimp on heating to save power costs
'No one should fear catching a winter illness because they can’t afford... heating'
'Living here you feel like a bottom feeder and scum'
This woman works fulltime as a nurse but is still homeless.
Elderly 'going without' meals: Pilot project aims to help struggling superannuants
'Really sad to think some of them are going a day without a meal or not eating.'
Meet the Tauranga cobbler with millions of TikTok likes
Modern technology is finding new customers for the centuries-old trade.
'Game-changer': Meet the regional businesses using AI and TikTok to find new customers
Using AI to answer visitor questions in real time online can be a major asset.
Buy now, pay later: Solo mum buying meat and groceries so kids don't miss out
9 Kiwi shoppers reveal the pluses and pitfalls of Buy Now Pay Later
Saving cents can turn into big dollars
Kiwis saved more than $425m by rounding up their transactions to nearest $1 or higher.
'Absolutely fabulous': How homeowners make money and lifelong friends renting spare rooms
"It costs me $40 a week to live in my house."
Kiwis spend estimated $8b online with overseas companies
Companies are competing head-on every day with foreign firms selling online into NZ'.
Burnout, violence and stress: Social work sector in crisis, experts say
An ageing workforce with 15pc intending to leave in the next five years is another worry.
'From the hood and gangs' to the classroom: How a new kura is giving hope to troubled kids
'We are a kura that looks after many who have fallen through the cracks.'