Podcast appearances and mentions of Robin Martin

A witness to Sunday's tragic capsizing in Taranaki, which claimed two lives, has said the small pleasure boat was side-on to breakers at the Patea bar before being swamped. Paul Mandela said the boat's skipper was thrown into the water while his passengers were trapped in the vessel. A six-year-old child is believed to be among those who lost their lives. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Former New Plymouth mayor David "Daisy" Lean is being remembered as a "visionary" who injected a youthful energy into the role. Robin Martin reports.

The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from a Taranaki farming couple who are fighting the compulsory acquisition of 11 hectares of their land for the Mt Messenger Bypass. But in its decision granting Tony and Debbie Pascoe leave to appeal, the country's highest court said the hearing will have a narrow focus. New Plymouth's mayor has denounced the move, which he says will add extra time and money to the already overblown project. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin reports.

Contractors have offered a sneak-peak at two of the main features of Te Ara o Te Ata - the Mt Messenger Bypass on State Highway 3 in Taranaki. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to take a look.

Robin discusses the latest events in Taranaki including a new high-spec Pouakai Hut replacement built to withstand extreme winds.

The unique challenges of building high on a mountain has meant everything including the kitchen sink has to be helicoptered onto the site of a new trampers' hut in Taranaki's national park. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Community-based trapping efforts are being credited with two vulnerable coastal birds returning in increasing numbers to Taranaki. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went birdwatching.

A group of rough sleepers in New Plymouth are backing a propsoal to allow them to use a council car park as a place to hang out. But they warn a police crackdown on their antics in the CBD will only push them out into residential neighbourhoods. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin spoke to the rough sleepers.

The subterranean level of a council car park, a derelict night-club and a prison dating back to the 1870s have all been suggested as a temporary place for New Plymouth's rough sleepers to hang out in the day. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Businesses in Stratford say stickers slapped on dozens of buildings warning they are quake-prone, risk turning the Taranaki provincial hub into a ghost town. Our Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has been talking to Stratford locals.

A Waitara community board member and crash survivor says it makes no sense to reinstate a 100kmh speed limit on a stretch of State Highway 3 in Taranaki. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

In a twist the Bard himself would've be proud of, a Javanese shadow theatre is a star turn at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Taranaki. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to a workshop run by the troupe.

Around the Motu: Robin Martin reports from Taranaki 

Four children remain in hospital after a crash in South Taranaki yesterday which injured eleven students and two adults. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's First Up pod: we ask Labour's deputy leader Carmel Sepuloni if New Zealand politicians use group chats to talk policy; Prince Harry steps down from his own charity; we hear about fresh talks between the US government and the Taliban and Taranaki reporter Robin Martin tells us about local farmers who say it's the worst drought they've seen in about 40 years. First Up - Voice of the Nathan!

Health New Zealand has apologised to a New Plymouth woman who was forced to find the cash to pay for a private ultrasound, after being told she'd have to wait six months under the public system. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

South Taranaki farmers say a recent smattering of rain isn't enough to break a drought some are describing as the worst in more than 40 years. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has been visiting farmers.

An acute shortage of radiography staff at Taranaki Base Hospital means patients are waiting months longer than they should for critical scans to diagnose cancer and other serious conditions. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Robin updates Kathryn on the latest events in Taranaki including developments on the Mt Messenger bypass.

Visitors to the Womad international arts festival in New Plymouth this weekend are being offered the opportunity to try their hand at the ancient Māori martial art of mau rākau. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

The controversial Mt Messenger Bypass project on State Highway 3 in Taranaki has got a funding boost after a $10 million budget blowout. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A New Plymouth woman says a month-long delay in getting the results of a "semi-urgent" ultrasound left her feeling like a "ticking time bomb". Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Waka Kotahi's right to kill endangered species while it is building the Mt Messenger bypass in north Taranaki has been ruled unlawful by the High Court. Whanganui-Taranaki reporter Robin Martin spoke to Corin Dann.

Land Information New Zealand was a no-show at a meeting to consider the future of a Taranaki daycare centre the government agency last week evicted from a building it had occupied for 44 years. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Te Matatini o Te Kāhui Maunga brought tens of thousands of visitors to Taranaki for the biennial celebration of kapa haka, injecting millions of dollars into the province in the process. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

It wouldn't be a summer festival without ducking off to the food trucks for a feed, and Te Matatini is no different. Although in Ngamotu this week you're more likely to see hangi, paua fritters and chop suey on the menuboards rather than burgers and fries. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to taste what was on offer.

A Taranaki man's home renovation has opened up a window into the past dating back more than a century. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

The last stretch of metal road in New Zealand's State Highway network has been sealed, with contractors putting on the finishing touches to 12 kilometres of tarseal through the remote Tāngarākau Gorge in East Taranaki. Taranaki-Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has been in Whangamomona to take a look.

Te Matatini - the national kapa haka championships - kick off in New Plymouth on Tuesday - the first time the event has been held in Taranaki for more than 30 years. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin.

Whanganui's iconic paddle steamer - the Waimarie - is celebrating a double anniversary of sorts this year. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went along for a cruise.

Tension over rough sleepers, a $10m centre city makeover and Te Matatini comes to Taranaki.

Taranaki school children have surpassed the wildest dreams of local council staff who set up a scheme to get rid of cream and milk bottle lids from Stratford's recycling collection. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

The chainsaws are coming for a swathe of mature trees which line the streets in downtown New Plymouth. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin reports.

Despite a stellar line-up including Olympians middle-distance runner Sam Tanner and long jumper-turned-sprinter Anna Grimaldi there was no mistaking who was the star attraction at the Cooks Classic athletics meet in Whanganui at the weekend. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin took in the action.

Taranaki ice swimmer Madeline Hobo has added a world championship title to her junior 500m freestyle world record secured in Alexandra last year. Hobo spoke to Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin.

More than 400 boardriders ranging from their early teens to more than 70-years-old will take part in disciplines including long-boarding, stand-up paddleboard, bodyboarding and the pinnacle event - the short-board open division. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin reports.

RNZ Reporter Robin Martin has a wrap of the region's news, including another development in the ongoing saga that is the Mt Messenger bypass, and a new hut in the Pouakai Ranges.

The lawyer for a Taranaki farmer who successfully overturned an ACC decision denying him compensation for exposure to the herbicide 2,4,5-T reckons his client is just the tip of the iceberg. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Robin discusses the reopening of Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery after a $70m makeover. Roading updates in the ongoing saga that is the Mt Messenger bypass project on SH3, as well as the multi-million dollar shortfall in New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) funding that has left the New Plymouth council short. And an Opunake farmer says a new service at Taranaki Base Hospital has changed his life. RNZ's Taranaki reporter, Robin Martin

Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui and its shimmering new wing - will be unveiled for the first time tomorrow following a $70 million makeover that's been a decade in the making. Robin Martin reports.

A new service at Taranaki Base Hospital is transforming the life an Opunake farmer. Mark Walsh has had kidney function issues most of his life and travelled out of region for specialist dialysis treatment sometimes twice a week - but not any more. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin explains.

The Crown's failure to purchase a Taranaki couple's farm for a major roading project has seen its cost skyrocket. The mayor of New Plymouth said the Crown's inability to buy the 11 hectares of land for the Mt Messenger bypass has cost taxpayers 83 million dollars in the past two years alone. Neil Holdom said it shows the Public Works Act needs a drastic overhaul. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

Filming on a television series, which claims to be the first prime-time production to have 30 percent of its dialogue in te reo Maori, has just wrapped in Taranaki. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin reports.

Barber students at Taranaki's largest tertiary education provider are creating a buzz around the region with a community project offering free haircuts at schools.The students are smashing out haircuts to meet course requirements while easing the cost of living crisis for families in what's being described a win-win for everyone involved. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin joined them at Coastal School in Okato.

A Taranaki garden festival that highlights working with nature rather than against it, celebrates its 10th anniversary next month. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to take a look.

A first of its kind welding training programme in Taranaki is hoping to plug gaps in the workforce and transform lives in the process. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went along.

The daughter of a New Plymouth councillor is facing a hefty fine after a years-long battle with council over who is responsible for a massive pohutukawa on the berm outside her home. Frustrated at the lack of action over the tree - which is growing through powerlines - Alana Brough has planted a fruit and vegetable garden in the berm in defiance of council bylaws. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to take a look.

A company that wants to mine the seabed off the coast of Taranaki has welcomed its inclusion on the government's fast-track list. Trans-Tasman Resources says if the project goes ahead it will create hundreds of jobs and boost export earnings. Opponents meanwhile are fuming the so-called 'zombie project' has been brought back to life. Our Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more

New Plymouth locals say the district council has botched the job of fixing a dangerous intersection in the city. 

The announcement of about 70 potential job losses at Methanex's plant in Taranaki is sending shockwaves through the community with Port Taranaki already talking with its staff about reconfiguring the business. Methanex, which uses gas to produce methanol for export, said policy settings have not been conducive to securing sustainable gas supply for its business since 2018, Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin reports.