Maryana Garcia is a multimedia reporter based in Hamilton, covering Waikato stories of national interest.
Maryana Garcia is a live news reporter working with the Waikato Herald team. She studied a Bachelor of Arts with a major in History at the University of Auckland. Maryana also earned graduate diplomas in English literature from the University of Waikato and communications from Wintec. Maryana has been with NZME since 2021. She started as a regional reporter for the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times writing about health and crime. During her time in the region, Maryana covered the Covid-19 pandemic, Cyclone Gabrielle and the local effects of the war in Ukraine, troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and protests in Iran. Maryana is also a poet and essayist. Her creative writing has been published in The Spinoff, Turbine, Poetry New Zealand, Takahē, Mayhem and Australia’s Meniscus Literary Journal. Maryana’s poetry has been featured on the walls of Auckland Hospital as part of Ara Manawa’s Poetry in Place exhibition and in the collections A Clear Dawn: New Asian Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand and Ko Aotearoa Tātou | We Are New Zealand.
'We're here to grow value': Govt announces grass-fed cert scheme, $17m resilient pasture programme
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said agriculture was leading NZ out of a recession.
Gates open for Fieldays 2025
Fog, family, fun and gumboots abound at Mystery Creek, just outside Hamilton.
Top-tier: Peter Carty honoured for services to flyfishing
'When the world seems to be against you, flyfishing can bring you back to reality.'
Waikato firewood injuries rack up $2.4m ACC bill
Nationally, 8374 firewood injury claims cost the country $19.9m in 2024.
'Their responsibility': Harbourmaster warns skippers against dangerous bar crossings
The warning comes after two Raglan rescues carried out in three days.
Spilled milk: Fonterra tanker rolls in Arapuni
The road is blocked. One person received minor injuries.
Fire ban: All permits revoked for North Waikato and Coromandel
Fire and Emergency New Zealand has declared a prohibited fire season in the area.
SH25 cleared after after logging truck hit power pole near Whangamatā
Police said contractors were at the scene and there were no reports of injuries.
Number of wildfires on the rise, Fire and Emergency says
In New Zealand, 99% of wildfires are caused by people.
MP to meet ministry over 230 job losses at Kinleith Mill
The mill will cease all paper production before July 2025.
Police shoot runaway bull after two people injured in Hamilton
Emergency services were alerted to a 'loose bull running around'.
Confirmed: 230 workers to lose jobs as Kinleith Mill shuts paper production
Staff were called to an open-air meeting on the Tokoroa mill’s grounds.
Seeds of hope: Globally rare habitat shows signs of recovery after 1000ha blaze
The October fire released about $9.6m worth of carbon into the atmosphere.
Watch: Logs fly after trailer dramatically detaches on highway
The video shows cars swerving to avoid flying timber and debris.
'Chance for a real solution': Winston Peters says he will advocate for Kinleith Mill workers
'Targeted government intervention is sometimes necessary.'
Save our mill: Proposed job cuts threat to entire town, advocates say
“This is going to be the beginning of the end if we don’t do anything about it.”
Crews to monitor Meremere fire over long weekend
“There will still be some fire activity at the site for the foreseeable future."
'Globally rare' habitat could take hundreds of years to recover after massive fire
Since Monday, 1039ha of Whangamarino Wetland has gone up in flames.
Watch: Footage shows early stages of Waikato fire getting 'out of control'
Drones will monitor hotspots overnight and firefighting operations will resume tomorrow.
Smoke from Waikato scrub fire moves up and across Coromandel
Public has been asked not to fly drones near where Fenz is fighting fire.
Watch: Aerial footage shows extent of growing Waikato wetland fire
Firefighters were alerted to the blaze off Island Block Rd about 1.15pm on Monday.
WorkSafe opens investigation into child's death after quad bike accident
WorkSafe were advised and inquiries into the circumstances of the crash are ongoing.
Person injured after being trapped in machinery at Waikato animal feed plant
One ambulance crew responded and treated a patient with minor injuries at the scene.
Man suffers gunshot wounds while hunting in Tongariro Forest
Due to the remote location, the man was winched out by helicopter.
Waikato police spike milk truck after alleged theft
No milk spilt and nobody hurt - but police say things could have been worse.
Vincent Ashworth made Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to agriculture
Ashworth worked to improve farming practices in Ethiopia and Afghanistan.
Goat control: Helicopters search Tongariro National Park for feral pests
DoC eradicated the local wild goat population last year and hopes to keep it that way.
Two horses shot dead by police north of Taupō
'The horses began to travel at speed towards the highway.'
Heavy rain, severe thunderstorm watches extended for east Waikato
Coromandel Peninsula residents are encouraged to work from home.
'Ram raid': Te Kūiti Liquorland invaded by flock of lost sheep
'It's so Kiwi,' said one onlooker, who thought the sheep were after a beer.
A good egg: Kiwi chicks 'race' to be national facility's 2500th hatched
'It was down to the final three...'
Explainer: How to safely forage for mushrooms - and poisonous ones to avoid
However, the National Poisons Centre warns against eating wild mushrooms.
Edgecumbe flood: Hundreds may be eligible to join legal case as five sue for $3.95m
Law firm says if it becomes a class action, it could cover another 350 plaintiffs.
'There's very little birdsong': Pests threaten native bush at Lake Ōkāreka
But a grant of $25,000 could help take the forest back from wallabies, rats and possums.
'Very difficult times': Local solutions as fruit and vege prices rise
Fruit and vegetable prices rose 5.4 per cent in August 2023 compared to August 2022.
Great ball of fire: Mamaku resident snaps eerie optical illusion
'It was just like this big glowing orange ball at the end of the street.'
Explainer: How to safely forage for mushrooms - and poisonous ones to avoid
However, the National Poisons Centre warns against eating wild mushrooms.
'They’re not hungry... they’re just killing': Dogs terrorising rural area strike again
Authorities haven't yet identified the killer dogs after at least four attacks in a month.
'A taste of blood' - Dogs maul retiree's pet sheep, neighbour fears for kids
Brutal night-time attacks by dogs have left six sheep dead in Tikitere, Rotorua.
Summer of cyclones: Tauranga's wettest summer in more than 120 years
Weather experts have confirmed just how terrible last summer was.
'We're feeling it': Foodbank pays $25k for a year of eggs as grocery prices soar
PLUS: 12 tips for dealing with rising food prices
Flooding, road closures and rescues: Thunderstorms lash Rotorua
'Quite a bit of water in a short period of time.'
Vets reduce hours amid shortage: 'Life is a little more stressful now'
Kathy Warbrick got a shock when she was told she needed to drive her sick dog to Tauranga.
Waterlogged fields and flooded paddocks: Farmers to weather more rain next week
NIWA recorded rainfall was 149 per cent higher than normal in September.
'Equity issue' as some rural patients face six-week wait to see a doctor
"In the next 10 years about 50 per cent of our GPs are set to retire."
Former septic tank driver fined for 'deliberate' discharge of thousands of litres of sewage
The smell of sewage pouring into the Orini Canal made passers-by retch.
Coromandel highway, Mauao track and Leisure Island reopen
Simpsons Bridge is impassable with cars turning around.
Delighted! Mayors welcome mill expansion a year after potential closure
Mayors tell us what the mill's expansion means for their communities.
Iwi representatives say they want to be part of Three Waters decisions
Iwi representatives at Bay of Plenty Regional Council meeting want more than consultation.
Council, NZTA repairing thousands of potholes a year in Rotorua
Rotorua Lakes Council says there's 'no direct apparent reason' for the increase.
Weaving living history on Mauao: 80-100yo oaks to go so stream can flow again
The area will be replanted with harakeke varieties unique to the area and used for weaving
Eye on the pies: Patrick Lam prepares for this year's pie competition
Reigning Bakels Pie Award champion Patrick Lam is not taking anything for granted.