Phil Pennington

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.

The number of payroll investigations has jumped but the size of paybacks to staff has plummeted.

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.