Stories by Phil Pennington

An Auckland woman is breaking a half century of secrecy to ask the Catholic Church to formally acknowledge she is the daughter of a priest. Video

Analysis - Imagine, for a second, the weight on a priest carrying around the sacred expectations of celibacy, writes Phil Pennington

An investigation has massive shortcomings in the Australian agency behind the detention of hundreds of New Zealanders.

An Australian firefighter with alarming levels of toxic foam chemicals in his blood says New Zealanders must take protecting their health into their own hands. Video

Six cases have come to light of children fathered by supposedly celibate Catholic priests in New Zealand.

A Hawke's Bay farmer and his dogs have survived an attack by a half-tonne bull that flipped over his quad bike.

Professional dog walkers in Auckland warn the industry's lack of regulation is putting pets and people at risk.

An Auckland woman who says her bulldog died of heatstroke within hours of being put in doggy daycare is railing against a lack of regulation.

Some Manawatu locals are accusing government agencies of not fronting up promptly about drinking water contamination caused by the Air Force. Video, Audio

Mental health services' failure to assess Olympic snowboarding coach Benjamin Jolly, 29, who killed himself in 2015, was "incomprehensible and inexcusable," the coroner says.

A coroner has castigated Otago health bosses for failing to bring in round-the-clock scanning that could have saved a Wanaka man's life.

Another major steel maker is being prosecuted, accused of selling customers substandard seismic reinforcing mesh for years.

A United States expert is warning that New Zealand's acceptable levels for drinking water contamination from toxic firefighting foam chemicals are way too high.

Officials under attack for spending multi-million dollars on outside contractors are promising they will cut back.

A trip to Asia to get a cheap operation that cost a man his life is being held up as a warning to New Zealanders looking for cut-price surgery.

The Hutt Valley's main hospital is urgently replacing heavy old ceiling tiles that pose a risk of serious injury in a major earthquake.

The Bay of Plenty township of Edgecumbe has fallen well short of getting all its flood-hit families back in their homes by Christmas.

Holiday pay mistakes affecting more than 9000 government workers are expected to cost at least $10 million to set right.

The government is being urged to dump a law blamed as a stumbling block to any prosecutions over the deaths of 115 people in the CTV building collapse. Audio

The country's main building regulator is struggling to recruit and retain staff at a time when complaints against builders have increased.

A night out in Brisbane celebrating his 21st birthday has turned into exile in New Zealand for a young Australian man.

A criminal prosecution against the designers of the CTV building was abandoned even though engineers said it was clear substandard design led to the collapse.

Australian women who discovered their husbands' stash of child sex abuse images speak out. Audio

A man's death in detention has lifted the veil on mass drug use in a privately-run immigration centre in Australia.