News
Who is responsible for monitoring air quality?
Fire and Emergency has yet to plug a gap over who should test for toxic smoke and warn the public.
Taihape teaching farm transfer: Ombudsman says Education Ministry 'unreasonable'
The Chief Ombudsman has found the Education Ministry was wrong to take a small farm used for agricultural lessons off a Taihape school.
New builds 'absolutely not' recommended for first-home buyers
The increasing cost of building materials is jeopardising first home buyers' finances.
Covid-19 app data protection: Government resists calls for new law
The government is dismissing calls for more protection of personal information in the Covid-19 contact tracing system.
Building supply shortage: 'It's uncharted territory - I haven't seen this before'
House builders are being deterred from offering fixed prices on jobs by escalating prices and critical shortages of materials.
More building products run short in level 3 regions
Pink Batts insulation is not the only building material that is running short as alert level 4 in Auckland cuts off both manufacture and distribution of all but essential building supplies.
Auckland water charge hike 'absolutely unnecessary' - ex-Watercare head
The former head of Auckland's water services says ratepayers face hikes in charges that are wrong and unnecessary.
Building industry: 'We need those materials now'
Thousands of building sites are reopening today amid warnings common products could run out within days.
DIA accused of being soft on vendor who delivered faulty software
Intelligence systems meant to back up investigations into identity fraud, money laundering and other threats became so degraded at the Department of Internal Affairs that most staff avoided using…
MBIE cuts back on staff churn in areas with high turnover
A major government ministry has hauled back on extremely high rates of staff churn.
NZ's biggest fire trucks keep breaking down with no new ones on order
Nearly two years on from the SkyCity convention centre blaze, the country's largest fire trucks keep breaking down and no new ones have been ordered.
Veterans' Affairs under culture review over 'toxic' bullying allegations, resignations
As resignations continue at Veterans' Affairs the Defence Force has begun an internal review of "workplace culture", but there is no formal investigation.
Defence Force's most polluted bases revealed
Devonport, on Auckland's North Shore, tops a list of the most polluted Defence Force bases in the country.
Marsden Point closure yet another loss for community next door
The Marsden Point refinery shutdown raises the chance the environment will improve, but it comes at a cost for the community that has reaped tainted benefits from it.
Police and IPCA disagree over tow truck safety issue
Police have disagreed with the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the threat to public safety from tow trucks on Auckland motorways.
IPCA on police tow truck report: 'People deserve to be worried'
The public should be worried about road safety in light of a damning report into the police's mishandling of tow trucks, an investigations overseer says. Audio
Covid-19: Contractors making millions from some agencies
Contractors working for the government on pandemic programmes are making millions of dollars from some agencies, and little or nothing at others.
ACC cover for volunteer firefighters would be unfair, govt says
The widow of a firefighter has been stymied in her efforts to get easier ACC cover for fire crew, with the government saying this would be unfair to others.
DHB confident resthome currently meeting expectations
Health board investigators have yet to release their findings months after undertaking an inquiry into allegations of abuse and neglect at a Lower Hutt resthome.
Banned firefighting foam used at Marsden Point for training
The oil refinery in Northland has run prohibited training exercises using thousands of litres of firefighting foam containing chemicals linked to cancers.
Govt concerns about Rio Tinto revealed in document release
Newly released documents show officials believed Rio Tinto wanted to sideline the clean-up of Tiwai Point aluminium smelter.
NZ 'naive' to shut down Marsden Point - Australian analyst
Plans to close NZ's only oil refinery may leave country exposed to global uncertainty, experts are warning.
Defence Force hazardous substances audit stalled for years after law changes
The Defence Ministry is years overdue for a legally-required audit of how the military is controlling dangerous materials such as rocket fuel and tonnes of old ammunition.
Police IT disaster recovery a 'very high risk area', audit reveals
Police computer systems have been ill-prepared to cope with a disaster like a major hack.
Tiwai smelter power could be diverted to hydrogen by 2023
The government has been told Southland could start producing green hydrogen as early as 2023, documents show.