Stories by Phil Pennington

There are safety concerns over the strength of high viaducts at a $700 million highway being built north of Auckland.

An independent report into WorkSafe has found multiple failings in the way the agency investigates deaths and injuries on the job. Audio

Emails released to RNZ show a US offer to rapidly set up Covid-19 data-crunching capabilities sat with the government for more than a month during the lockdown.

The Carillon bell tower is stronger on top and weaker at the bottom - exactly what engineers have warned could lead to its total collapse.

Wellington apartment owners are calling for an urgent independent review of how earthquake strengthening rules threaten to ruin them.

A South Auckland crane driver has been denied a $100,000 payout for his cancer after a government-owned finance company switched his policy.

A plumber has been found guilty of doing negligent or incompetent work at a Lower Hutt retirement village.

A plumber defending charges over defective drains at a retirement village says something went wrong at the project but it was not his or his workers' fault.

A plumbing investigator says tradespeople who raise the alarm about defective work but carry on doing it, carry the can.

The national hospital stocktake has exposed flaws in the Ministry of Health's vision of a future - in 2026 - where artificial intelligence machines keep tabs on people's health through "smart" home… Video, Audio

Consulting engineers say some government agencies are insisting that if firms cut staff pay to survive, they pass these cuts on as a cost saving on public projects. Audio

Earthquake assessments in the national stocktake of hospital buildings have failed to use the most up-to-date engineering guidelines.

A government ministry was warned in 2011 by engineers the bell frame in the National War Memorial Carillon could fail in an earthquake.

A main tower block at Nelson Hospital and the special care baby unit at Waitākere Hospital are in the worst condition of any hospital buildings in New Zealand, a nationwide hospital stocktake shows.

The closest ever look at the country's hospitals reveals many intensive care units, operating theatres and emergency departments are in "poor or very poor" shape. Audio

A new stocktake of the country's hospital facilities shows IT systems so old they will run out of technical support and the need for $14b in upgrades to buildings.

Accounting software provider MYOB has found problems with seven of its payroll systems, prompting it to ask businesses to check if they've underpaid employees.

An investigation into the safety of earthquake bracing used to anchor ceilings in schools, hospitals, and supermarkets is being hamstrung by weak regulations.

The National War Memorial Carillon in central Wellington has been rated at just 15 percent of the earthquake code.

The Transport Agency has refused to release an inquiry into potential conflicts of interest over high-tech contracts.

The Health Ministry says the 2020 Budget has not delivered any "additional sustainable" funding to bolster the country's public health units.

The number of doctors in public health units confronting the pandemic is in crisis, but there is no sign of a plan to fix this.

A consortium of disability groups bidding for a $32 million public contract has lost out to an American call centre operator.

The Minister for Disabilities will not say if the Health Ministry has breached government guidelines with its Covid-19 contact tracing app.

Experts in technology for the blind and people with low vision are slamming the government for releasing a contact tracing app they can't use.