A large police presence at a gang member's funeral ensured the public could feel safe despite being inconvenienced by the steps taken as hundreds of patched members descended on Grey Lynn, Auckland's top police officer says.

Stewart Island is Covid-19 free, with an announcement made this evening by the Southern District Health Board, following a child returning a weak positive test.

There is still some frustration and worry amongst over-65s in Wellington as they wait to be called up for their Covid-19 vaccine.

Cotton bud sticks, tampon wrappers, used condoms, hair pins and flushable wet wipes are clogging sewage systems and washing up on Wellington's beaches.

A survivor of the Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital has told the Royal Commission she was raped multiple times by the head of the child and adolescent unit, Dr Selwyn Leeks.

A witness in the Arthur Allan Thomas sexual assault trial says he has tried to block out the memories of being involved in historical abuse.

A new report shows that while New Zealand has the third-best childcare in the OCED and EU, it is one of the most expensive. Luxembourg tops the list for best childcare.

The largest gang funeral for about five years has been held in Auckland leading to police closing roads as Head Hunters, Rebels, and King Cobras turned out in numbers.

Plenty of New Zealanders turned to the bottle to get through the ups and downs of last year's Covid-19 rollercoaster, documents show.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has had a Covid-19 vaccination in Auckland this afternoon, hailing it as a personal milestone.

A judge has described the actions of a contractor which illegally dumped demolition material from the old New Plymouth Airport terminal on a North Taranaki farm as "reckless" and "deliberate".

The Defence Force wants charges laid by WorkSafe over the death of an SAS soldier two years ago dismissed.

At least half of Auckland's waste comes from construction and demolition, and Auckland Council is piloting a new programme to get the building industry to lift its game.

A young woman who lost her father to suicide is calling for more transparency from the government on what is being done to tackle the country's high suicide rate.

The household contacts of a child on Rakiura / Stewart Island who received a weak-positive Covid-19 test have returned negative serology tests.

Pasifika high school students experience the worst rates of housing deprivation of any ethnic group in New Zealand, while Pākēha are half as likely to report couch-surfing, homelessness and other poor housing indicators.

A fire that destroyed a house in the West Coast town of Cobden on Wednesday is being treated as suspicious.

A data modelling expert has warned reopening the border with less than 70 percent of the public vaccinated risks overwhelming hospitals and Covid-19-related deaths.