Lois Williams

Sleeping in a bus isn't everyone's idea of a quality accommodation, but at one of New Zealand's first backpacker lodges on the northern shores of the Hokianga harbour - its simply one of the treats. Audio

There is much of New Zealand to be discovered out while on"holiday"off the Beaten Track. Audio

Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira has accused opponents of a national maori flag of being mean spirited. Audio

A parliamentary select committee is defending its decision to help a Bay of Islands businessman legalise his use of a public reserve. Audio

The Greens co-leader Russell Norman has accused the Northland MP John Carter of bending the rules of parliament to help a Bay of Islands businessman. Audio

The Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira returns to Wellington this week to face his fellow Maori Party MPs - in a move to resolve concerns over his recent controversial behaviour. Audio

A Far North civic leader has accused the mayor of Whangarei of putting the region's stadium project at risk by meddling in its funding. Audio

Far North Maori with large tracts of low-value pine forest say the carbon-credit deal for iwi foresters is a ray of hope for their hapu. Audio

Lois Williams looks at the primary grievance claims of the country's largest tribe: Ngapuhi Audio

Gang-busting raids in Auckland and Northland today have ended months of collaboration and detective work by six government agencies. Audio

A ten-year-old Northland boy is dead after what police believe was an accident involving a gun. Audio

Conservation groups are waiting anxiously to hear if the government will fund research into the new fungus disease that's killing kauri. Audio

Yesterday's tsunami alert is being criticised by a veteran seismologist who says Civil Defence over-reacted. Audio

The Food Safety Authority is offering a way out for a far-North jam-making legend who's been shut down by council health inspectors. Audio

Northland's Ngawha prison is appealing for local Maori to help turn inmates lives around but it's already encountering some resistance. Audio

The recession may be officially over - but the malady lingers on in Northland - where hundreds of people are struggling to pay their rates. Audio

A Northland hospice has lost a major source of funding because it can no longer sell home-made jam at it's charity shop. Audio

The days of mud and mangroves may be numbered in Whangarei. Audio

The Conservation Department in Whangarei is taking steps to protect godwits from kite-surfers this season. Audio

Angry Telecom customers in Northland are demanding action and compensation as they wait for repairs on faulty phone lines. Audio