Police have pulled back on their plans to begin towing vehicles illegally parked around the anti-vaccine, anti-mandate protest on the Grounds of Parliament.

A new online Ministry of Health system to notify people of positive Covid-19 tests and aid contact tracing needs to be streamlined, says a public health expert.

Laboratory workers, contact tracers and other critical health staff are planning to strike twice next month, after rejecting a pay offer from district health boards.

Statistics NZ's latest Food Price Index shows meat, poultry, and fish prices rose 3.6 percent between December 2021 and January 2022.

The Ministry of Health is reporting 1573 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

Napier councillors are divided on whether the city's ageing and outdated pool should be closed.

A major independent report has found nurses are overworked and exhausted because of consistent understaffing and that patients are not always getting full care.

New figures show 30 percent of Auckland schools are managing cases, with infections rising particularly rapidly at primary schools.

A Whangārei nurse is so annoyed by anti-vaccination billboards in Northland, she wore a disguise and spraypainted over misinformation.

Cranmer Square residents say Christchurch City Council is quick to send notices for branches hanging outside their property, but is sitting quiet while protesters are on their doorstep.

More people are expected to be able to leave MIQ early under a new risk assessment, and some travellers may be able to go into self-isolation before borders open.

Immigration and human rights lawyers say there needs to be clear oversight of the software Immigration New Zealand is using to help process visa applications.

The state of emergency in the Buller district has been extended as the council assesses flood damage estimated to have cost millions of dollars.

Police in Wellington are not yet towing protester vehicles blocking streets around Parliament, and say they are exercising "careful judgement" about when to start.

The postal service says 800 extra staff will ensure critical deliveries can continue as the Omicron outbreak grows.

Wakatipu High School has confirmed one student has tested positive for Covid-19, and it has two other probable cases, with 43 students and four teachers identified as close contacts so far.

A survivor of abuse at the hands of the Catholic Order of St John of God has told the Royal Commission of Inquiry about his treatment at Marylands School - saying he was "interfered with" as soon as he arrived.

Aotea Great Barrier islanders fear they will go the same way as Waiheke Island with lots of helicopters buzzing their skies.