Phil Pennington

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.

Cracks that could cause crashes have been found in the towbars and connections of some of the largest truck-trailers on New Zealand's roads.

A Hobsonville Point development on the site of a former airbase has been cleared for toxic-foam contamination, its chief executive says.

Debt-crippled Fletcher Building is no longer in the running to build a large town centre in southeast Auckland.

Wairarapa social workers are being diverted from frontline work to finish reports, according to a Family Court judge's minute released this afternoon.

A world-leading authority on child sex abuse in the Church says it would be a colossal waste of money if a Royal Commission excluded churches.

New Zealand's plan to leave the Church and other non-state groups out of the Royal Commission of inquiry into abuse is getting some bad press in Australia today.

Investigations into toxic firefighting foam contamination have spread to a new 1600-home development in northwest Auckland, and to Devonport and Whenuapai.

A Masterton family lawyer says she'll be lodging an official complaint that Oranga Tamariki put out a misleading public statement about the welfare of a young girl.

Wairapapa's chief social worker has been ordered to appear before a judge in Masterton to explain an almost three-month delay in providing a crucial report on a young girl.

A Christchurch academic says Chinese government spies are behind a break-in at her home on Wednesday.

Cash-strapped Television New Zealand is in talks with Getty Images to begin licensing its footage.

A paedophile priest who spent time in the Philippines and New Zealand highlights the need for a state care abuse inquiry to include the Church, Filipino community leaders say.

The Bishop of Auckland has accepted that a local woman is the daughter of a Catholic priest after being presented with fresh evidence.