Stories by Phil Pennington

A South Auckland Labour MP is demanding answers over rot at Middlemore Hospital, and immediate monitoring to ensure dangerous fungal spores are not escaping.

The town water supply at Sanson in Manawatu has tested completely clear of firefighting foam chemicals.

The Anglican and Catholic churches are making their most concentrated push yet to get the Royal Commission into abuse expanded to fully include them, with both writing to the Prime Minister.

Analysis - Scrutiny of institutional sexual abuse is becoming the new norm, so why is the New Zealand Catholic Church still keeping its issues in-house, asks Phil Pennington.

A Defence Force investigation into toxic firefighting foam asked a council three times for water systems information as early as 18 months before toxic contamination at its nearby base was revealed.

The Health Minister is demanding answers from South Auckland health bosses after they failed to tell him the full extent of the leaky building crisis at Middlemore Hospital. Audio

Four big Middlemore Hospital buildings, including the children's hospital, that serve thousands of South Auckland people are full of rot and dangerous mould that could make staff and patients sick.

Pacific Steel in Auckland has lost its bid to have China and Malaysia penalised over steel coming into this country at low prices.

Authorities face a logjam of months if not years in the scramble to get urgent safety checks done on hundreds of truck-trailers.

A ministry that's under fire for spending a lot on contractors has just re-hired its chief executive from last year, as a contractor.

China's top quality control department wants to check out any fake test certificates on imports discovered in New Zealand.

Just one percent of 1500 heavy truck-trailers that need safety inspections have been checked in the month since an urgent safety alert went out.

The Auckland Council has begun identifying people around Whenuapai airbase who have bores for water that may be impacted by firefighting foam runoff.

Defence officials will brief Auckland Council today about toxic firefighting foam contamination at Whenuapai and Devonport, as the number of potentially contaminated sites grows.

Toxic banned firefighting foam has been found at three more airports.

Neighbours of a church hall, which trustees say is at risk of collapsing, have not been warned of the danger, including a primary school just 100 metres away. Audio

An international Catholic whistleblower says the Vatican will be "quaking in fear" in case the New Zealand Catholic Church is included in an inquiry into abuse.

Catholic bishops in New Zealand have decided against adopting new international principles aimed at making priests who father children face up to their responsibilities.

Quantity surveyors are calling on the government to take action in the face of a hugely risky construction market.

Some groundwater at Devonport Naval Base has 50 to 100 times more firefighting foam contamination than the recommended maximum.

A survivor of sexual abuse is calling for Sir Anand Satyanand to be removed as head of the new Royal Commission, after a survivor's identity was emailed to staff.

Toxic firefighting foam chemicals have contaminated a bay in Devonport in Auckland, a Defence Force report says.

Toxic firefighting foam that has been illegal in New Zealand for 12 years has been found in firetrucks and storage sheds at Nelson Airport, the Environmental Protection Authority says.

A father and son who accuse leading Catholic clergymen of sexually abusing them as schoolboys are also accusing the Prime Minister of going back on her past assurances.

Structural cracking discovered in big truck semi-trailers has been compared to a lawnmower wearing out by the Road Transport Association.