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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post Year in Review: September 2019

Rotorua Daily Post
1 Jan, 2020 11:00 PM5 mins to read

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Flowers left at the scene of the fatal bus crash near Rotorua on State Highway 5. Photo / Stephen Parker

Flowers left at the scene of the fatal bus crash near Rotorua on State Highway 5. Photo / Stephen Parker

The Rotorua Daily Post is taking a look back at the stories of 2019. Here's what made headlines in September.

September 3:

A Rotorua taxi driver has been shot after being caught in the crossfire of a firearms incident on the eastern suburbs of Rotorua on Sunday night.

Police are piecing together what has happened and a 25-year-old man has been arrested.

Read more: Shot Rotorua taxi driver plans to get married this month, may not make trip

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September 4:

Five people have died after a tourist bus rolled in bad weather earlier today on State Highway 5 at Ngātira, near Rotorua.

Two others were seriously injured when the bus rolled and came to rest on its side.

Inspector Brent Crowe told reporters this afternoon that 27 people were on the bus, and five on board had lost their lives as a result of the crash.

Read more:

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Horror tourist bus crash near Rotorua: Five dead, 2 seriously hurt

Scene of a fatal bus crash on State Highway 5 at Ngatira in the Mamaku Ranges west of Rotorua. Photo / Ben Fraser
Scene of a fatal bus crash on State Highway 5 at Ngatira in the Mamaku Ranges west of Rotorua. Photo / Ben Fraser

September 7:

This is a behind-the-scenes look at how local health authorities are dealing with the worst measles outbreak in at least 20 years.

Reporter Scott Yeoman spends time with the experts as they trace infections and attempt to prevent the spread.

And he talks to people who have had their lives changed by this highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.

Read more:

Operation Measles: Inside the public health response to an escalating outbreak

Dr Phil Shoemack, pictured at Rotorua Hospital.  Photo / Stephen Parker
Dr Phil Shoemack, pictured at Rotorua Hospital. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 9:

A Rotorua Lakes Council candidate is disgusted after being subjected to a racial slur while putting up hoardings.

Fisher Wang, 18, is one of 34 candidates vying for a spot on Rotorua Lakes Council.

Read more:

Elections 2019: Rotorua council candidate subjected to racial slur

Fisher Wang. Rotorua council candidate subjected to racial slur.  Photo / Stephen Parker
Fisher Wang. Rotorua council candidate subjected to racial slur. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 12:

A Givealittle page has now been set up for the families of the Chinese tourists killed in a bus crash last week.

The tour bus carrying 27 Chinese people, most understood to be from China's Sichuan province, rolled on State Highway 5 at Ngātira, near Rotorua on September 4. The families of those killed in the crash were in Rotorua

Read more:

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Givealittle page set up for Rotorua fatal bus crash victim families and survivors

Flowers left at the scene of the fatal bus crash near Rotorua on State Highway 5.  Photo / Stephen Parker
Flowers left at the scene of the fatal bus crash near Rotorua on State Highway 5. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 13:

A Rotorua council candidate who suggested housing homeless people in a barn has been slammed by other candidates - including one who says in their view his comments are ''offensive'' and ''inhumane''.

John Rakei-Clark made the remarks at a Chamber of Commerce meet-the-candidates event on Wednesday night.

Read more:

'Let's stick 'em in a barn': Rotorua Lakes Council candidate John Rakei-Clark slammed over homeless comments

Council candidate John Rakei-Clark on homelessness. Photo / Stephen Parker
Council candidate John Rakei-Clark on homelessness. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 14:

A Rotorua marae has banned fizzy drinks and plastic bottles - a move a health professional has described as ''trailblazing''.

The chairwoman of Ohinemutu's Tūnohopū Marae, Norma Sturley, said all 20 trustees were involved in the decision gradually introduced over winter to ban soft drinks and plastic bottles (not just single-use), both large and small.

Read more:

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'Trailblazing': Rotorua's Tūnohopū Marae bans fizzy drinks, plastic bottles

From left, Harina Rupapera, Norma Sturley and Terry Sturley. Photo / Stephen Parker
From left, Harina Rupapera, Norma Sturley and Terry Sturley. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 15:

There was a time when many places were foggy with cigarette smoke and the smell of stale tobacco hung in the air. Cars, restaurants, bars and workplaces - all were areas where people could light up as they pleased. But not any more. Smokers have been pushed outside, often enduring the glares and pointed coughs of non-smokers. But with the explosion of vaping, it has suddenly become cool once more to puff away on a little stick. But is vaping safe?

Read more:

Cutting through the smoke: Is vaping the answer to quitting smoking - or is it the new danger?

Joe Fraser credits kicking his 25-year smoking habit to vaping. Photo / Stephen Parker.
Joe Fraser credits kicking his 25-year smoking habit to vaping. Photo / Stephen Parker.

September 18:

A poignant mural that captures the legacy of the late Aunty Bea has been painted in the Rotorua CBD.

The painting, titled Te Toki Te Arawa Hero Mural, was designed to capture a Te Arawa arts hero and was part of this month's Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival.

Read more:

Rotorua mural captures 'beautiful smile' of the late Aunty Bea

Taumata Umu-ariki Soloman in front of his Aunty Bea mural. Photo / Stephen Parker
Taumata Umu-ariki Soloman in front of his Aunty Bea mural. Photo / Stephen Parker

September 19:

Unknown to him, sitting on the couch and sharing a glass of port before bed was the last time Garry Harpur would see his son.

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A moment he would not change even if he could, and one he would cherish forever. The next night, a knock on the door from police tore family's heart open with the news the 23-year-old St John ambulance officer died on the job.

Read more:

'That boy was our world': 23-year-old Rotorua St John ambulance officer dies on job in Whakatāne

Garry Harpur is in shock at the sudden death of his 23-year-old ambulance officer son who died on the job.  Photo / Ben Fraser
Garry Harpur is in shock at the sudden death of his 23-year-old ambulance officer son who died on the job. Photo / Ben Fraser

September 25:

Quick reactions from a group of Rotorua locals saved a man's life when he was found unresponsive in his car on Sunset Rd.

With no pulse, the man's fate was not looking good.

But Rohan Knowles, Simon Kirner and Selena Layne acted quickly, along with perfect timing from ambulance paramedic Jordan Retemeyer and emergency medical assistant Amelia Fleming and an off-duty firefighter, who happened to be driving past.

Read more:

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Rotorua locals save man's life with CPR and defibrillator on Sunset Rd

Helping to save a man's life on Sunset Rd were (from left) off-duty nurse Selena Layne, Simon Kirner, emergency medical assistant Amelia Fleming, Rohan Knowles and paramedic Jordan Retemeyer. Photo / Stephen Parker
Helping to save a man's life on Sunset Rd were (from left) off-duty nurse Selena Layne, Simon Kirner, emergency medical assistant Amelia Fleming, Rohan Knowles and paramedic Jordan Retemeyer. Photo / Stephen Parker
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