Rachel Maher is a Multimedia Journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news.
Rachel specialises in reporting on crime issues in Auckland, extensively covering the issues of retail ram raids and youth crime. She has also reported on many other topics including social justice issues, politics and entertainment. Rachel grew up in Whangārei before moving to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2018. After a lifelong passion for writing and story-telling, Rachel studied at AUT and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication, majoring in journalism, in 2022. She achieved her dream of becoming a journalist when she joined the Herald in June of the same year as a breaking news reporter. Rachel has quickly established herself as a passionate and well-rounded reporter, covering everything from the 2023 Cyclone Gabrielle destruction to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. You can contact Rachel at rachel.maher@nzme.co.nz.
Hundreds without power across North Island, road snowfall warnings in South Island
Meanwhile, Fire and Emergency were called to 60 incidents in the upper north.
Hamilton family 'terrified' as tornado wreaks havoc on homes
A resident on Ranui St claimed she saw a trampoline swirling above a house.
'She went under': Eyewitness account of teen cyclist crushed by truck
The teen survived but suffered multiple fractures and severe injuries.
'Lucky to be alive': Teen pinned under truck on way to new job
The 17-year-old girl suffered multiple skull, spine, and limb fractures.
Cyclist seriously injured in early morning Hamilton crash
Traffic management around the crash scene is currently in place.
'Risk of frost': Temperatures to plummet, threat of more heavy rain this weekend
Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty are in the firing line.
Coromandel towns isolated by flooding, more heavy rain forecast as storm rages on
Roads have been submerged, roofs ripped from buildings and ferries and flights cancelled.
'Prepare now': Cyclone Tam brings 130km/h gust, winds forecast to ramp up overnight
Forecasters warn of 120km/h gusts that may close the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
'Strongest since 2017': New Tropical Cyclone Tam warning for strong winds, giant swells
Tam is moving at 35km/h south towards New Zealand.
The big chill: Kiwis wake to freezing temperatures as cold snap grips the country
Auckland had the highest early morning temperature at just 12C.
Dire warning as ‘drought buster’ rain in April unlikely, North Island faces more dry months
New data shows rainfall is down by about 75% in many areas.
Watch: ‘Could have been much worse‘ – women flee stalled car seconds before train hits
The women clutched each other as the freight train edged closer.
‘I just feel sick’: Woman who rescued kids off Matamata train tracks feared death ‘inevitable’
A local woman said she had pulled five toddlers off the same stretch of train tracks.
‘Beloved student’ fatally struck by train named
Matamata College has paid tribute to Sarie Morton.
Mayor vows action after girl dies in train tragedy near Matamata College
Police and WorkSafe are making inquiries following the incident.
Heavy rain, severe gusts to hit Auckland during rush hour
Strong winds hit Auckland, with gusts reaching 93km/h on the harbour bridge.
Storm hits: Power cuts, road closures as rivers rise in Northland
Severe weather watches and warnings are in force.
'Tragically taken': Families mourn train crash victims
People wishing to pay respects have been asked to not wear patches or bring alcohol.
'I wasn't': Andrew Bayly maintains he wasn't drunk when he insulted worker
Bayly apologised last week, claiming he thought his comments were 'light-hearted'.
'Come home': Grandma's plea to fugitive son Tom Phillips to bring back kids
And the grandma squashes rumours she's been helping the elusive family.
'They’re all alive': Mum relieved to see kids missing for nearly 3 years in video
Cat became emotional watching her children disappear back into rugged farmland.
Watch: Fugitive Tom Phillips and three children filmed in bush with large packs
The hunters stood mere metres away from the missing family and spoke to the children.
Hamilton child homicide: Residents urged to keep an eye out for ‘white clothing’
Police are continuing their inquiries in the area, after the boy was killed on Sunday,
'Worst nightmare': Kiwi skydiving instructor dies after botched landing
His dad, a Kiwi skydiver of 30 years, was with him the day of the fateful fall.
Watch - 'Hostile and violent': Boy racer events orchestrated to attack cops - police union
Video footage shows a ute reversing at speed to ram a police vehicle.
Watch: Four police cars damaged in 'hostile, violent' car event
Four police cars were damaged in total.
Watch: Ute rams police car during 'Hamilton invasion' as boy racers descend on city
The ute can be seen reversing at speed and ramming the police car.
Three arrested after armed police and specialist teams search rural Waikato property
Police could be seen digging up large items on the property.
Te Kūiti baby death: 'Inconsistencies' in parents' stories - police
The baby had been known to police due to previous 'non-accidental' injuries, police say.
'Not the actions of a good father' - Police say missing Marokopa man armed, still a risk to community
This morning they offered a $80,000 reward in the hunt for Tom Phillips.
'Hysterical screaming' heard before baby's 'violent' death
'Nobody in the community likes to think that this sort of thing can happen'.
Thousands join protest at Parliament as Govt unveils Budget
The nationwide protests come ahead of the coalition Government's first Budget at 2pm.
Te Pāti Māori protest: What you need to know about tomorrow's carkoi protests
Police are urging people in metropolitan areas to allow extra time for their morning trips
PM calls Te Pāti Māori planned Budget day protest ‘illegal’
Te Pāti Māori shared on social media that this is a 'rangatira revolution'.
'Tragic': Robert Sidney Horne reported as Ponsonby shooting victim
A social media post from a family member said they were feeling “deep sadness”.
Frankenfruit: Is this New Zealand's biggest feijoa?
'We couldn’t believe how much it weighed.'
Teen fights for life after being run over multiple times in targeted attack
Police appealing for dashcam footage after attack left boy with "life-changing" injuries.
Tourist's deadly dip: Rescuers battle 2m swells, darkness to reach swimmer
'We were very lucky to see him ... you couldn't see more than a few metres.'
Fourth person dies following horror Pukaki crash; road toll climbs to seven
The official Easter holiday period began at 4pm on Thursday and ends at 6am on Tuesday.
Watch: Frantic mum-to-be protects swimmers as shark stalks holiday hotspot
'You know when someone pregnant runs the distance of a beach it’s time to get out.'
200 more hospital ED security guards to counter 'unacceptable' violence
The Health Minister says we're on track to record 5000 assaults in EDs across NZ.
Footage emerges of man struck by drifting car at illegal Hamilton street racer meet
Police also found a baby in a vehicle at the event.
Watch: Car engulfed in flames on Waikato Expressway
It is not known how the fire began and it took firefighters close to an hour to extinguish
30 rescue staff hunt for missing Whangamatā man with dog
Jordan, 29, has not been seen for a week already.
‘Not out of the woods yet’: Conserve water notice as ex-cyclone Lola sweeps North Island
Today is expected to bring another round of thunderstorms and strong winds.
Wild weather: Roads closed with over 100mm of rain, 130km/h wind gusts
Several places across the top of the North Island have recorded over 100mm of rain.
Lanes closed on Harbour Bridge as ex-cyclone bears down; thousands without power
Wind gusts reaching 142km/h have already been recorded in Cape Rēinga.
'Damaging' wind gusts tipped to blast Auckland, Coromandel this weekend
This is just the start of a wild few weeks according to forecasters.
Hail, flooding possible in Waikato; 100km/h winds for Auckland this weekend
More wild weather is forecast as a trough of low pressure moves over the country.
Coromandel community meeting on gang violence gets heated
Locals were left fearful after the Rebels gang spent the weekend terrorising the town.
Rescue chopper crashes into Waikato bush
Helicopter suffers 'heavy landing' after mid-flight incident en route to patient.
Heavy downpours to hit North Island, tree falls in Herne Bay
As temperatures rise during the first week of spring, the rain will continue to fall.
Watch: Heart-stopping moment overtaking car narrowly misses head-on crash
A hatchback driver narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a truck.
Kaimai quiz night attendees disgusted over group’s KKK costumes
An attendee claims the group was commended on their dedication to their costumes.
Revealed: What Marokopa dad bought at Bunnings
He visited two Bunnings stores in Waikato and bought items used for camping.
Four Hamilton youths armed with hammer and crowbar arrested for aggravated robberies
Armed with a hammer and a crowbar, four youths ram-raided two Hamilton businesses.
Handguns brandished at motorist on Waikato Expressway
'It was confronting,' the shaken gun threat victim told the Herald.
Watch: Car engulfed by flames in 'suspicious' blaze at busy shopping centre
A video on a local community page showed flames completely engulfing the car.
Train service banned from Auckland metro area after collision concerns
The driver failed to obey safety signals, putting the train at risk of a collision.
Inquest finds multi-lane roundabouts unsafe for cyclists
Coroner says motorists and cyclists need education about how to negotiate risks.
'Sick and unsafe': Student suspended after indecent act in library caught on camera
A student called the act "disgusting" and hoped the police would be notified.
'Battle of the hoods': Hamilton parents and students warned about mass city brawl
Police are aware of the planned fight and will be sending officers to the area.
Watch: Dramatic footage of Hamilton bakery being ram-raided overnight
The bakery was one of the multiple businesses targetted last night across Hamilton
‘They’re living like fugitives’: New plea for missing Marokopa children from heartbroken sibling
The children have been missing for 10 months along with their fugitive father.
Four dead and several others critical after horror long weekend crashes
Multiple crashes across country killed several and left others fighting for their lives.
Live: Winter blast brings big chill, heavy rain, Auckland fog
Fog restrictions are in place at Auckland Airport early this morning.