Stories by Phil Pennington

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.

Analysis - British authorities are doing urgent tests for combustible cladding at a rate of 100 a day. Phil Pennington asks why New Zealand's not doing the same?

Two multi-storey buildings in Auckland where combustible aluminium panels have been found are being re-clad with a total of 90 being investigated by the council.

The council has found two high-rise buildings with combustible panels similar to those implicated in London's Grenfell Tower disaster.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is overhauling its building arm, raising fears this will distance it from companies and councils. Audio

Tradespeople are warning of widespread weaknesses in quality control standards in New Zealand in the wake of London's Grenfell Tower fire. Audio

The building regulator has asked the Commerce Commission to investigate seismic steel reinforcing bar sold by a major supplier.

An Auckland building consultant wants the government to suspend certification of aluminium composite panels in the wake of the fatal tower fire in London. Audio

A dispute over the quality of New Zealand's fisheries management has erupted into an international scrap between scientists.

The head of the Ministry for Vulnerable Children has apologised for multiple failings surrounding the death of a 17-month-old in Southland.

The Ministry for Primary Industries insists the cameras it is trialling on fishing boats will be used to prosecute illegal fishing.