Immunisation levels are the lowest they have been in decades, according to new research, and experts are calling for an overhaul of the system.

As Auckland waits to hear if it will move down an alert level this week, the prime minister assured the country the level four lockdown is working, even with a small rise in cases the past two days.

A man on remand at Mt Eden prison made a court appearance and shared a cell before test result came back.

As Aucklanders anxiously anticipate a drop in lockdown levels, it's time for a few cheerful distractions as we wait for the next announcement.

There have been 24 new community cases of Covid-19 reported in New Zealand today, including a case in Auckland's Mount Eden prison.

Homemade exemption passes and shortcuts through paddocks are among the attempted lockdown breaches reported by police this week.

The search base at Marokopa beach to look for Thomas Phillips and his children will be stood down today, but police say their work is far from over.

The government will invest $36m into infectious disease research to aid with the Covid-19 pandemic response and prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks.

Two people snapped flouting alert level four restrictions by travelling from Auckland to Wellington have tested negative for Covid-19.

A police operation aimed at getting guns out of the hands of organised criminals and gangs is quite rightly being extended, according to an expert on criminal behaviour.

A person has died after a car crashed in the early hours in Mount Roskill, Auckland.

The woman charged with the murder of her three daughters in their Timaru home on Thursday night has appeared in court this morning.

A couple has been arrested for using false information to pass the southern Tāmaki Makaurau border to stay in Taupo, and a group was caught fishing in Mission Bay.

Level four lockdowns could become a thing of the past if Covid-19 vaccination rates are high enough, the health minister has signalled.

Family and friends scoured the rugged King Country coastline today at Marokopa and Kiritehere beaches today, but still had no luck finding Thomas Phillips and his children, or any items of interest.

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 has jumped after several days of falling numbers, with 20 new cases reported in Auckland today.

A body was found at Foxton Beach at about midday today.

Lockdowns and restrictions have pushed some families and groups to the bone financially, and the government needs to offer better support, social support groups say.