Stories by Felix Walton
News
'Gaming lab' explores benefits of Dungeons & Dragons, board games
A 'gaming laboratory' hopes to find out if rolling dice and slaying dragons is good for your brain. Audio
Tourism operators paid hundreds of thousands to access Whakaari
White Island Tours told a court it paid $500,000 a year for access to Whakaari - and helicopter companies also paid to conduct tours on the island.
Whakaari / White Island trial: Eruption was impossible to predict, expert says
The 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption which killed 22 people was impossible to predict, a leading volcanologist told the court.
Brothers put profits ahead of assessing safety risk for Whakaari visitors - prosecutor
The company managing a small volcanic island was profiting in the millions before an eruption killed 22 people in 2019, court hears.
Auckland Council fails to decide on budget, will reconvene Friday
Thursday's meeting ended without a decision, despite a partial backdown from the mayor on selling shares in the city's airport.
Apple's Vision Pro pricey, but likely to usurp Meta's Quest headset - expert
The director of an Auckland virtual reality studio expects Apple's new gadget to be a game-changer. Audio
'Hard lessons we need to learn' - Stormwater conference faces harsh climate reality
A dour mood hung above this year's Stormwater New Zealand Conference, as attendees reflected on months of flooding and severe weather.
'He's listened': Relief as Citizens Advice Bureau escapes mayor's spending cuts
Though Wayne Brown has promised to fund the Citizens Advice Bureau, he did not confirm if existing funding would be reduced. Audio
Banks less trusted than supermarkets - Consumer NZ survey
The high level of profitability was making people question the level of service they were getting, says Consumer NZ chief executive Jon Duffy.
How four Kiwis made New Zealand's latest gaming success
A Christchurch-developed video game about fishing is making waves overseas.
Scientists sequence whooping cough strain but face challenges in tracking it
The sequencing shows the strain is likely to be covered by the vaccine, but one leading vaccinologist says Aotearoa has "dropped the ball badly" on vaccinating pregnant people.
'If the funding's gone, we'll be gone by Christmas' - Citizens Advice Bureau
A petition with 20,000 signatures was handed to Auckland Council in a last-ditch effort to halt budget cuts to the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Lucrative video games industry being poached by Australia
Video games could be our next billion-dollar industry, but Australian tax incentives threaten to stunt growth of the sector in New Zealand.
Aucklanders say water price hike badly timed, but needed
Watercare chief executive Dave Chambers said the hike was unavoidable - and locals appear reluctantly in agreement.
'You're not homeless, we are': Muriwai residents vent frustration at Auckland Council
Tempers flared at a packed meeting when council officials did not have the answers Muriwai residents wanted.
'A way to go': Residents welcome power fix, but trip to town still requires a boat
Residents of a rural Hawke's Bay town cheered for repair crews arriving to restore their power after more than two weeks in a blackout after Cyclone Gabrielle.
'Incredibly unsettling': Some families still stuck in shelters nearly two weeks on
The numbers of people seeking aid at Civil Defence centres in Auckland has dropped, but plenty of families are still displaced.
'It's a different world': Dargaville reckons with storm damage
The sun finally came out over Northland on Wednesday after the region was rocked by Cyclone Gabrielle - but some residents were still being urged to evacuate.
'I worry for my kids' health' - Residents' fear for future as flood clean-up begins
The sun may finally be out, but the crisis is not over for Auckland residents displaced by last month's floods. Audio
Auckland floods: Welfare centre moved to bigger site to meet demand
Volunteers have been working around the clock in South Auckland to provide relief to people displaced by flood waters.
Doctors frustrated as Kiwis struggle to access STI testing clinics
Aotearoa's sexual health clinics have been operating with the same staff and resources for almost a decade, despite increasing demand.
Van found still in drive after crushing and killing woman, inquest hears
Svetlozar Kraleva says he still has questions about the death of his wife Krasimira Kraleva more than two years ago.
Parcels arriving late twice as often as before Covid-19
The number of parcels delivered late in the past three years has doubled, but posties are working harder than ever.
Hundreds of roads in Auckland to get lower speed limits
More than 1600 roads in Auckland are set to have their speed limits reduced by 30 March.
Fewer Kiwi children living in poverty but disparity between Māori and Pākehā remains
Walter- who is just 22 - lived on the streets for years and calls poverty a "generational curse" that left him with nowhere else to turn.