Save Our Mill, Paige Suisted and NZME community papers: the big stories of December 2024

Paige Suisted has stage four brain cancer. While she faces a tough prognosis, she is getting on with her treatment, ticking off a bucket list and sharing her journey to help others - mostly with a smile but with a few tears. Photo / Mike Scott

As the year draws to a close, Waikato Herald is taking stock of 2024. What moved readers most? As part of a 12-day series, Waikato Herald reporter Danielle Zollickhofer looks at the top stories each month. Welcome to day 12: December.

Nationally, December 2024 was the month that href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/christchurch-real-estate-agent-yanfei-bao-murder-trial-jury-finds-chinese-national-guilty/DX767A4CUZGOBDWITJGRTAAYP4/" target="_blank">Tingjun Cao was convicted of murdering Christchurch real estate agent Yanfei Bao.

The Hillgrove Egg Farm in Moeraki reported New Zealand’s first case of avian influenza, leading to the culling of 40,000 chickens and 13 beached pilot whales died in Golden Bay despite local efforts to refloat them.

Winston Peters announced that the Government would ban greyhound racing by July 2026 and the Fast-track Approvals Bill passed its third reading.

And NZME announced it would proceed with closing 14 of its community newspapers, as proposed last month, however, five of the titles have since been saved.

The Taupō & Tūrangi Herald, Hauraki-Coromandel Post, Stratford Press, Bush Telegraph and Horowhenua Chronicle have been sold and will continue under new ownership in 2025.

NZME's 17 community newspapers.

The Tokoroa community rallied for the “Save Our Jobs! Save Our Mill!” campaign in response to Oji Fibre Solutions’ proposal to halt paper production at Kinleith Mill in mid-2025.

A campaign meeting was attended by around 400 people, including Minister for Regional Development Shane Jones, Taupō MP Louise Upston, Te Tai Hauāuru MP Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, Green Party MPs Tamatha Paul, Chlöe Swarbrick and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters who told embattled employees that he would advocate on their behalf.

Hamiltonian Paige Suisted shared how she is dealing with having less than 18 months to live after being diagnosed with a terminal, stage-four brain cancer. She said she knew she would not be at her siblings’ weddings, or have children of her own, but she does know what she wants from the time she has left.

Valentina Burgess found out her two younger brothers were living just a short drive away. Photo / Alex Gilbert, An Adoption Story

Meanwhile, Hamilton woman Valentina Burgess, who was adopted from Russia as a toddler, talked about her journey to meeting her younger brothers.

Three-year-old Grace Jessop headed off on a special trip after being diagnosed with the same rare and terminal genetic condition that took the life of her sister in 2019.

Danielle Zollickhofer is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined NZME in 2021 and is writing for the Waikato Herald.

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