Pupil at Auckland's Northcote College was at school for two days while infectious with Covid-19, parents told, while a student at Lynfield College has also tested positive.

All staff and students at the schools are considered close contacts, according to emails sent to parents.

Dress Smart mall, a children's playground and a west Auckland community centre are all new locations of interest.

A picture is slowly emerging of how coronavirus cases in Auckland's Delta variant outbreak are connected.

Napier waterway has 53 times more zinc than one of world's most polluted.

Dairy and service station owners are asking for more police support and priority for Covid-19 vaccinations as they are again deemed essential businesses.

Leo Tolstoy's famous novel gets the full, lavish treatment and an epic cast, while a dark chapter in New Zealand history is brought to life.

REVIEW: For all its trappings, star power and political pretensions, there is just not enough actually happening here to keep you invested.

One food bank had to cut off registration hours after opening because demand for food parcels was so high.

Ted is just as busy as all of us during New Zealand's second level 4 lockdown.

From another magical nanny to a music-loving kikajou and a one-legged surfer, these are all tales to enthral and delight at this difficult time.

From the lives and loves of the Crawleys and Fishers, to a second-hand bookstore comedy and a Baltmore-set drama, this is TV worth getting lost in.

Public-facing essential workers, like supermarket staff, will also be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccination under new rules.

REVIEW: Fans of the former teen-pop sensation and Doctor Who companion's 2020 series I Hate Suzie will enjoy her confrontational directorial debut.

Having been separated from his wife when she gave birth to their third child, the Kiwis captain says the family will soon be reunited.

Almost all shoppers fronting up at Christchurch supermarkets remembered a mask on Thursday, but stores had extra staff on hand to deal with a difficult few.

Even through masks, the happiness to be heading home was obvious as people arrived at the Palmerston North Airport on Thursday.

Remember what we got up to last time. The good old days formerly known as ''these trying times''.

Lockdown has seen Taranaki police out in masks, good spirits and in extra numbers.

A restaurant owner was about to open a second branch when NZ was plunged back into lockdown. The same thing happened when he opened his first restaurant last year.