Stories by Phil Pennington

The Black Ferns' Rugby World Cup win has sparked huge debate over whether top women players are getting a fair go financially. What about the referees?

More gaps in what is known about how safe buildings are in an earthquake are emerging, this time to do with police stations, hospitals and a cinema chain. Audio

Queensland is poised to change its trade rules tomorrow in a move New Zealand has labelled a "little bit crazy".

New Zealand's building regulator is looking overseas for more ideas on how to clamp down on poor construction.

The country's building regulator admits it needs a major overhaul after years scrambling just to react to leaky homes and the Canterbury and Kaikōura earthquakes.

The Commerce Commission has chosen not to take legal action against a steel supplier that put wrong information on its test certificates. Audio

Prefabricated skyscrapers and brick-laying robots will change the face of building and the New Zealand industry isn't keeping up, its leaders have been told. Video, Audio

Two young girls have reported being sexually assaulted by boys while in state care in Upper Hutt.

A former inmate who is suing Corrections has made public a video of his brutal prison assault. Video

District health boards in high quake-risk zones are not saying if they will audit their buildings to make sure they are up to scratch.

Almost half of Auckland Hospital's pipes, cables and ducts are not properly secured in ceiling cavities and could crash down on to people in an earthquake.

Fewer than 34 multi-storey New Zealand buildings have fully complied with earthquake restraints standards since they were introduced in 1983, including in the Christchurch rebuild.

US engineers who have pioneered designs for buildings able to withstand tsunamis are inviting New Zealand to get on board.

The number of complaints against the Ministry for Vulnerable Children has doubled over four years, with a third being upheld.

The country's leading commercial refrigeration company says the government does not care that cut-rate importers are making a mockery of the law.

Horowhenua District Council's chief executive has been blocking people's emails to the council without them knowing, an internal report shows.

Leaky building risks plaguing an upmarket Auckland retirement village remain unfixed 14 years after they came to light.

Two New Zealanders at the Australian detention centre say they've been punished for trying to expose guards abusing an asylum seeker. Video

Fire protection specialists and an Auckland builder have seen many examples of substandard fire protection in New Zealand buildings, they say.

A Wairarapa couple who won a two-year fight to get their children back weren't told for weeks because the court lost the judge's ruling. Audio

It would be foolish to assume buildings here are safe as so little is known about how high-rises react to severe fire, a top engineer is warning.

Architects are worried they've lost a prized top position in the ministry at a time when all construction groups are struggling to cope with the building boom. Audio

An Auckland litigation lawyer is recommending clients take a sample of any aluminium composite cladding on their apartments to test whether it is combustible. Audio

Plans for what will be the country's tallest apartment tower are stuck in a dispute over whether a single stairwell for its top 11 floors is good enough in an evacuation.

KiwiRail is seeking an urgent rule change to ensure passenger trains don't get stuck in tunnels if the engine catches fire.