Stories by Russell Palmer

Covid-19 antiviral pills show promise, but experts warn they are unlikely to be available to help as the virus spreads through traffic-light New Zealand.

Government excuses over the rushed process for the traffic lights law do not stack up, but there will be a chance to scrutinise health orders made under it, experts say. Audio

The government's decision to delay home isolation for New Zealanders in Australia until after Christmas is ripping families apart, opposition parties say.

Minister Poto Williams says a case in Whangārei is now before the justice system - and while evictions remain a 'last resort', the government will not accept adding to homelessness.

As the Green and Māori parties urge the government to slow the Auckland boundary opening and the move to traffic lights, National and ACT say it's already too slow.

The government has offered assurances that police will be ready and able to help businesses enforce vaccine pass use, saying officers "know what's coming".

MPs are getting more access to home security, and ideas for further protections for them will go before all parties and the Speaker at the Parliamentary Service Commission.

Labour's chief whip Kieran McAnulty is talking with Parliamentary Security about options for increasing security for MPs, after a confrontation with an anti-vaxxer led to him receiving death threats.

After reports of MIQ staff facing increasing violence, government ministers say the system is under pressure - and the coming shift to shorter stays will be a crunch point.

Public sector advisor Doug Martin will head up the working group on Three Waters as its independent chair, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced.

Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says he is disappointed Māori vaccine data has not been provided to the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.

Politicians of all stripes say the protests at Parliament today represent just a small minority of New Zealanders, as first-dose vaccination rates near the 90 percent mark.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with workers, businesspeople and frontline health workers on her visit to Auckland tomorrow, but is not expected to be out and about in public.

Explainer - Sometime soon, the alert level system which is becoming increasingly complex, will be replaced with traffic lights. Join RNZ for a journey into the future to see what that means.

Disability communities have largely welcomed the establishment of a new Ministry for Disabled People, saying it has the potential to improve disabled lives.

A new Ministry for Disabled People will be set up as the government rolls out a different approach to support services and brings in a new law to make Aotearoa more accessible.

The government is considering requiring some travellers to be vaccinated to fly between regions, but warns there are complications to account for.

Opposition parties would return water infrastructure to councils, they say, and they doubt the proposed working groups will address concerns about governance, ownership and accountability.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she does not need to travel to Auckland to understand the impact of the lockdown there.

National Party leader Judith Collins has come out firmly against creating a "two-class system" by bringing in vaccine certificates, but she also wants to bring in vaccine certificates.

MIQ changes being announced this week will free up facilities to accommodate demand from New Zealanders overseas and from the Delta outbreak, the Covid-19 Response Minister says.

National and ACT say the government's planned move from alert levels to a traffic light system is confusing and slow, as the Māori Party and Greens urge more protection for the vulnerable.

New Zealand has agreed in principle to the United Kingdom's second free trade deal since Brexit, eventually eliminating tariffs on all New Zealand exports to the country.

The government says the National Party's Covid-19 business plan is economically illiterate, while others say it puts Māori, Pacific people and other vulnerable communities at risk. Audio

Explainer - Councils and the government seem at odds over massive water infrastructure reforms - but is your water system in the drink? RNZ is here to clear it all up.