Stories by Katie Todd

People planning New Year' Eve celebrations in Auckland are hailing the city's next step towards freedom, just in time to bid goodbye and good riddance to 2021. Audio

Some central North Island regions under the red traffic light are waiting with fingers crossed for a shift to orange today.

The man who murdered police officer Matthew Hunt and tried to kill his partner has been jailed for life - with a minimum non parole period of 27 years.

The man who murdered policeman Matthew Hunt and tried to kill his partner is due to be sentenced this morning.

It's feared checkpoints in Northland could suck up valuable police resources this summer, while failing to stop unvaccinated travellers reaching vulnerable communities. Audio

Travel data suggests a small number of New Zealanders are still taking holidays abroad.

The Chief Ombudsman says some prisoners get better access to fresh air than people staying in MIQ in the Grand Mercure in Wellington.

Police figures indicate more than a four-fold increase in violence and disorder in MIQ hotels this year, compared to last year.

Shelley Grierson is double vaccinated, had has multiple negative tests and was working from home in the UK countryside, but scored too highly on a public health risk assessment to leave her MIQ hotel.

People planning on a city retirement with a few luxuries should have a savings account in the high triple figures, according to a new report from Massey University.

Covid-19 cases who have had two vaccine doses will only have to isolate for 10 days, while the unvaccinated still have to isolate for 14 days.

About 2600 people will be eligible to exit their managed isolation hotel on Sunday, when stays for international arrivals are shortened to seven days.

Staff in MIQ hotels are being told not to walk alone - and getting security escorts to visit certain guests - because of an increased risk of violence.

When health authorities asked if she would like to go into MIQ, she said she declined because she did not know much about it and did not want to leave her family without support.

A group of public health experts say incoming travellers have a lower risk of carrying Covid-19 than the average Aucklander.

Tourism operators that rely on a summer influx of Aucklanders fear a death knell if travel restrictions are not lifted by Christmas.

Building managers and body corporates in Auckland want better communication from health authorities to keep their tenants safe.

A woman in MIQ says it was "brutal" and "inhumane" of MIQ staff to take away a chance to comfort her father in the last moments of his life, without explanation.

While thousands of stranded New Zealanders pin their hopes on an imminent MIQ announcement, the lobby system for bookings is already being gamed by a third party group.

Senior high school students who donned their uniform for the first time in two months today have described mixed emotions of "tremendous" excitement and rattled nerves.

The woman who handed herself in to police was one of three people to make a break for freedom in quick succession last night, after being sent to quarantine from the community.

As officials beg Aucklanders to follow the alert level 3 rules, some city dwellers are asking for clarity around the Covid strategy in return.

Returnees were caught escaping MIQ hotels, attempting escape or venturing into out of bounds areas 117 times in a 10-month period.

Expectant couples trying to reunite before their baby arrives are getting caught up in the MIQ booking bottleneck.

The getaway driver who helped the killer of police officer Matthew Hunt to flee has been jailed for 12 months.