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Luke Kirkness
Multimedia Journalist, NZME
Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times
We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.
Check out Luke’s latest content
'Drop in the bucket': Hospice grateful for $3.1m boost but more needed
One-off funding of more than $3 million has been announced but is it enough?
Luke Kirkness: My failed dreams and what you can learn from them
OPINION: Make the most of your glory days, you don't know how long they'll last.
Luke Kirkness: It's time to change how we reward Lotto winners
OPINION: It's time to change how we reward Lotto winners in New Zealand.
Opinion: How we're missing the chance to punish bad drivers
Luke Kirkness says the law is the law, and if you break it, you should be punished.
'Prolonged and violent assault': Police appeal after teen attacked
A boy in his mid-teens is the victim of a prolonged and violent assault, police say.
Get the umbrella ready, winter outlook reveals plenty of rain to come
The outlook comes as autumn was listed as the second-equal warmest on record.
The big issue worrying a retiring police district commander
After more than 40 years on the force, Andy McGregor says it's time to wind down.
Gang members in prison: Numbers hit 7-year low
But the proportion in prison compared to non-gang members is at a 12-year high.
Luke Kirkness: More needs to be done to help the real MVPs of society
OPINION: Health workers are incredibly important but do we show it enough?
Data prompts fresh calls for greater investment in 'death trap' highway
The new highway came with a hefty price tag so has it been worth it?
Bitten, spat at, hit with axes: Top cop says assaults on police becoming more violent
'We are seeing is a propensity of offenders to increasingly use violence toward police'.
Luke Kirkness: Police need to be respected more and the buck stops with us
Luke Kirkness says police in NZ don't deserve to be spat at, bitten or hit.
Bit, spat at, hit with axes: Top cop says assaults on police becoming more violent
Revealed: The number of assaults on police officers over the past five years.
Outlaw gangs to make NZ a safer place, says former drug kingpin
Billy Macfarlane says a tougher stance on gangs is needed.
Luke Kirkness: This Government is rewarding laziness
OPINION: It's time to get tough and ensure people are actually trying to find work.
'Targeting Māori': The police firearm figures worrying leaders
Actions predicated on race or the situation? Police firearm use data revealed.
Luke Kirkness: I've started vaping - and I'm on the way to getting hooked
OPINION: I've picked up a bad habit that is hard to shake despite not being a smoker.
Luke Kirkness: The answer to solving our gun crime issues
OPINION: Guns will always be a contentious issue but the answer is staring us in the face.
Luke Kirkness: Proactive steps needed to tackle road toll
OPINION: What's the price of your life or that of your loved ones?
Ex-drug kingpin on gun seizures: 'The worst guns' are still with 'the worst people'
Gun Safe was introduced in March 2019 to record police encounters with firearms.
Luke Kirkness: It's time to move to orange. Here's why.
OPINION: We're past Omicron's peak so it's time to give struggling businesses a break.
One Covid-related death in Lakes DHB, latest case numbers revealed
There were 12 deaths nationwide announced today by the Ministry of Health.
Opinion: Why tougher prison sentences alone won't cut crime
OPINION: It's a complex problem - and won't be solved any time soon, says Luke Kirkness.
Rawiri Waititi: Māori should be paid a pension from age 57
There is support and opposition to the idea to lower NZ Super eligibility for Māori.
Two deaths in Lakes region, number of other vaccines administered revealed
The number of AstraZeneca and Novavax doses in the Bay of Plenty can be revealed.
Latest Covid hospitalisations, cases and deaths revealed
There are nearly 700 people throughout New Zealand with the virus in hospital.
'Why can't they work a little longer?': Locals discuss NZ Super eligibility
Experts butted heads on the subject, now Bay of Plenty locals put their thoughts forward.
We're living longer - is it time to raise the age for superannuation?
More than 70,000 in the Bay of Plenty receive superannuation. Is it time for a rethink?
Luke Kirkness: What some unemployed people are lacking
Keep trying until it pays off, argues Luke Kirkness.
No police have tested positive for drugs in last the three years
However, the head of the police association says it's 'naive' to conclude no staff used.
How Whakatāne Mill opened the door for local industry
OPINION: It's time to shake things up a bit and take inspiration from the old days.
Luke Kirkness: It's time we grasped the housing nettle
OPINION: The latest CoreLogic property report provides no reprieve for first-home buyers
Where in the world did our MIQ cases come from?
The number of people who tested positive in MIQ and where they came from can be revealed.
Luke Kirkness: Now is not the time to became complacent about Covid
OPINION: Fewer people seem to be taking the threat of the virus seriously, to our peril.
How many Māori vaccinations to reach 90% revealed as MP isolates
As the Omicron outbreak continues to spread, the 90 per cent target is yet to be reached.
Omicron outbreak: Five in Tauranga Hospital; latest case numbers revealed
The latest Bay of Plenty and Lakes District Health Board figures have been revealed.
Meet Flick, the little fire truck that could be yours
The origins of Flick are unknown but whoever left it at the station has a kind heart.
Luke Kirkness: Why today's make or break for the Government
OPINION: Are we in for some Covid-19 reprieve with a border announcement looming?
Luke Kirkness: Calling on New Zealand's team of five million
OPINION: Omicron is in Tauranga. What does that mean looking forward?
Vent temp and gas output decrease at Whakaari/White Island
Data was collated during an observation flight to the volcano last week.
Why we shouldn't meet sharks' existence with fear
OPINION: Great white sharks might be apex predators but they don't kill many people.
Revealed: How many people spent time in Rotorua MIQ
One recent returnee says the experience of Rotorua MIQ was hugely valuable in her life.
Revealed: The cost of water-related injuries
Over the past seven years close to $40 million has been spent on local water injuries.
Luke Kirkness: We cannot afford to get complacent with the virus
OPINION: There are fears an Omicron outbreak could soon start — we need to be ready.
Revealed: The number of times New Zealand Defence Force staff tested positive for illegal drugs
The number who tested positive for which class of drug, and their penalty, are revealed.
Revealed: What books were issued most in the Bay of Plenty in 2021
What people in the Bay of Plenty read last year revealed - plus a few suggestions.
Luke Kirkness: How holiday traffic woes could be hold the answers to Bay's biggest issues
OPINION: The biggest issues crippling our region could be solved this summer.
Luke Kirkness: Anxious days ahead after Omicron discovery
OPINION: Some of us may feel battle-hardened, others more battle-weary.
Luke Kirkness: Something worth celebrating in 2021
Opinion: This is the one something worth celebrating in 2021- an otherwise rocky year.
Six new Covid cases in Bay of Plenty, four in hospital; 13 in Lakes
There were 126 new community cases over the past two days across New Zealand.
Luke Kirkness: Get out and support local this holiday period
OPINION: It's also important that people be nice to one another.
Luke Kirkness: Stay safe on the roads these holidays
OPINION: More than 40 people won't be coming home for Christmas.
The 90% Project: Where has Delta spread to in the Lakes?
The source of infection for the first cases reported in the district is not clear.
Luke Kirkness: Let's stop making life out like it's a bed of roses
OPINION: The sooner people realise life isn't easy, the better
Luke Kirkness: The housing market is tough but rocks and cardboard are plenty
Opinion: Things are looking grim for first-home buyers but there are a few options.
Luke Kirkness: Delta has changed team of 5 million for the worse
OPINION: We were a team of five million last year but now we're completely divided.
Luke Kirkness: Why do we bite the hand that feeds us?
OPINION: More respect needs to be shown to farmers, especially in times like these.
The different ways Lakes DHB is getting people vaccinated
Lakes District Health Board is exploring numerous options to get people vaccinated.
'We just need to keep testing': Results delayed after test surge call for more as Covid spreads
There were no new cases in the Lakes yesterday but there is still a delay for virus tests.
Covid cases in Tauranga, Mount: Where to get tested
There are two Covid-19 community cases in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board.
Covid 19: More cases in Lakes district, new wastewater detections in Tauranga
The latest information about local cases has been revealed.
Luke Kirkness: The ball is in our court now over Covid
Opinion: The job of protecting our communities from Covid lies more and more with us.
Watch: MP ordered to leave Parliament after quizzing Health Minister
The Rotorua MP asked Health Minister Andrew Little about ICU beds in the Lakes DHB.
Two new Lakes DHB cases; Rotorua locations of interest revealed
The latest details about Covid-19 in our community have been revealed.
Woman assaulted, killed, house set on fire: Police chase new leads
Tirau woman Roma Joseph was seriously assaulted and died four years ago.