Also, police fatally shot a man in Matamata after he presented a firearm, fled from officers and entered a stranger’s home where he threatened a parent and child.

He was later named as Christopher Taukiri, of Hauraki, and it was revealed he allegedly crossed the centreline of a road and killed his passenger and the driver of another car in August 2023.

Other big stories in the region were the opening of the Maersk coldstore facility at Hamilton’s Ruakura Superhub and a Hamilton mother appealing to the public for more understanding for her special needs son.

Debbie Bennett’s adult son Shannon Wilson has a brain condition called pachygyria which causes big mood swings — and Shannon could be screaming to get his way which caused significant upset among their neighbours.

Since Bennett and Wilson moved to Hamilton in 2020, there have been several complaints to police and online remarks, some of which urge her to take extreme measures — including violence — to curb the yelling.

Fed up with endless apologies, Bennett said she tried educating people about her son’s condition.

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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