News in review for 2012 in New Zealand
From the drama and spectacle of the London Olympics, including a gold medal scandal with a drug cheat, to Tongariro erupting - twice, to tornadoes and hurricanes, and the usual understated politics of a US election, 2012 was a big year.
New Zealand hit headlines around the world with our gold medal winning Olympians and natural disasters. But some international stories grabbed our attention as well, with Superstorm Sandy and the US elections sparking our interest.
Here are the stories which rated highest on Dribble NZ News with infonews.co.nz this year:
NOT IN ORDER|
Armed shooting near Palmerston North; soldier takes own life
The 23 year old male Alexander Rope who took his life (Friday) 5th October after an armed stand-off in Palmerston North's Linton Military Camp had just split up from his partner.
Early Friday morning a Alexander Rope barricated himself in a house during an armed incident inside the camps housing area.
Police entered the property just after 2pm and found the body, but Inspector Dave White said that police did not fire any shots.
Rivers not safe in New Zealand; not 100% pure
The Green Party released infomation on New Zealand's rivers and this is what we were looking at
Waikato River, Lake Taupo and Manwatu River in the top 10 of the most polluted which could be TOO LATE for a clean up
Taranaki's Whaiwakio River is also one of the polluted but if cleaned could lose polution and see the report wrong.
Media creates flurry of death messeges for teen; Taranaki
In Taranaki 15 year old teenagers are worried for the sake of their lifes following media making a story way out of poportion.
The story is about highschool students making a page on Facebook about what maori's never say including posts like 'Heres your bike back' and 'im going to uni next year'.
The story went viral and made TV all over New Zealand and now 15 year old teenagers are left with the aftermath.
Residents of Taranaki said what media has done is cruel,viscious and mean.
One person dead following helicopter accident
Emergency services rushed on the 8th of November to a massive helicopter crash in the South Island , following the crash a body has been found dead.
It is unknown if there was anymore people on board.
Rainbows end emergency; injuried in hospital
A woman found her self trapped on one of Rainbows End's most popular ride,The Enchanted Forest log flume ride, built in 1984.
Emergency service workers had to cut her from the ride after her leg was impaled by a piece of wood, she has been taken to Middlemore Hospital in stable condition with minor injuries.
Sewage risk for New Plymouth beach goers
First it was oil on beaches in the bay of plenty but now it is sewage on New Plymouth beaches "Oh, How we dont like sewage in our beaches" complains a resident and Dribble NZ News invesigates...
New Plymouth City, the home to around 100,000 people will pour into the sea half of New Plymouth's sewage because of work about to start for the districts Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The New Plymouth council is warning all New Plymouth residents and visitors that there will be a high risk of illness and skin irritation from swimming in New Plymouth beaches including popular beaches such as Fitzroy Beach, Ngamotu Beach and Back Beach. - Read more on infonews.co.nz
Marmite not coming back: Over 500 views
Marmite lovers are in for a long wait after Sanitarium admitted it has no idea when production of New Zealand's favourite spread will resume.
News of a potential marmite shortage first surfaced in March, when production was stopped by safety concerns at the earthquake damaged Christchurch factory.
Mount Tongariro erupts
Mount Tongariro erupted for the second time in 2012 following a 100 year wait, school kids ran down the mountain as it was erupting in fear.
The Hobbit; Live updates
This is the biggest news story Dribble NZ News has been working on since last years Chirstchurch earthquake.
Dribble NZ News start LIVE UPDATES at 3.30pm
The Hobbit is here, below is the headlines from Wellington regarding the movie.
Yes, you know it The Hobbit movie created tension between the Dribble NZ News room, we had live updates on our website from 3.30 on the day while 3NEWS came on at 4pm! This story created many views on the infonews.co.nz website.
US President the new one; Barack Obama re-elected.
US President Barack Obama's re-election was one of the most read stories of the year. Dribble NZ News carried live updates of the election throughout the day, which detailed as-it-happened coverage of all the political action. It was one of the most closely watched elections, with commentators all over the world waiting in anticipation to see who would become the leader of the most influential nation in the world - Barack Obama for a second term, or Republican contender Mitt Romney.
Superstorm Sandy strikes America
As Superstorm Sandy crashed into the eastern coast of the United States all eyes were on New York as parts of the iconic city were evacuated. Just a week before the US elections, the huge storm measuring 1600km-wide battered the east coast, lashing it with rain and strong winds, and bringing snow to inner states. It killed at least 135 people and left millions without power. The New York Stock Exchange closed for two days, the first such closure since 1888.
Tornado hits Auckland; people dead
In December, a deadly tornado ripped through an Auckland suburb, killing three people and leaving thousands without power. The freak weather event shattered the lives of many, as residents of Hobsonville and Whenuapai were left to pick up the pieces of their homes. Residents described terrifying scenes as strong winds sent debris flying and tore roofs off houses in Hobsonville. Later a smaller tornado formed near Lake Rotorua, where one farmer said he was lifted off the ground. Coverage of the tornado and recovery efforts by emergency services in the wake of the disaster kept thousands informed of what was happening. A raw video of the tornado sent in by a viewer showed the force of the winds as it swept through the area.
Flu scare at start of year
A flu scare in February brought Auckland Airport to a standstill , as authorities attempted to prevent passengers from Japan entering the country with what they suspected was an unknown strain of influenza virus. Confusion reigned as flights were suspended and staff assessed the students, who turned out to have only the common cold. Health authorities later admitted they had "overreacted".
Whitney Houston dies
The music industry was left grieving earlier this year when singing legend Whitney Houston was found dead in her Los Angeles hotel room. The troubled singer and actress, whose battle with drugs and tumultuous relationship with husband Bobby Brown was well documented, died from accidental drowning in her hotel room bath while under the influence of drugs, aged 48. Tributes poured in for the R&B icon, and sales of her records soared as fans chose to remember her by her music.
Radio network buidling exploded
The footage of Christchurch's Radio Network building being flattened by explosives was one of the most popular videos of the year. The earthquake-damaged building was the first in New Zealand to be demolished by implosion, and Queenstown boy Jayden Halliwell, 6, was given the honour of pushing the red button.
Goodbye from the team at Dribble NZ News!
So those were the top stories with infonews.co.nz on the Dribble NZ News page.
In total this year Dribble NZ created over 10,000 views since August 2012.
To the 18 reporters in New Zealand for Dribble NZ News goodluck for 2013, have a good holiday break and we will see you back on the 5th of January!
For our readers: We will report as we would any day at any time by our online reporters who work in the holidays but wont make any full on investigations and reports till the 8th of January 2013.
Thanks very much to the 10,000 people who viewed our reports on the infonews.co.nz website, we wish you all a very very good new year!