As the protest outside Parliament continues into its fourteenth day, today poo was thrown at police, some protesters were arrested, and concrete barriers were installed along streets in Wellington.

The families of the victims of an Islamophobic assault at a Dunedin school have not been told of the discipline the attackers will face, the Otago Muslim Association says.

Omicron patients will go to a makeshift facility if Covid-19 cases take up too many beds at Whangārei Hospital.

About 1000 anti-mandate protesters rallied in central Christchurch over the weekend calling for an end to the rules that bar unvaccinated people from certain jobs and venues.

Organisers of Napier's Art Deco Festival are hailing this year's celebration as a success.

The Ministry of Health is reporting 2365 new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today.

About half of New Zealanders surveyed think current Covid-19 restrictions are appropriate, with the rest split almost evenly between wanting fewer or more restrictions.

Rapid antigen tests are being deployed across Auckland as lab crews struggle with increasing demand.

Predicted strong population growth within 10km of central Blenheim could see a shortfall of land for urban development within the next 30 years.

US model Bella Hadid has signed a petition seeking justice for a high school student whose hijab was forcibly removed.

Police say they are stepping up patrols of businesses around Parliament and are taking a zero tolerance approach to intimidating and abusive behaviour from anti-mandate protesters.

Two weeks in and the occupation of Parliament remains a total stalemate with no sign protesters are going anywhere. So where to from here?

The magnitude 5.6 earthquake near Blenheim was recorded about 4.06 pm by GeoNet.

Wellington Hospital says any outbreak of Omicron at the protest outside Parliament will add stress to an already stretched emergency department.

Community Covid testing centres in Auckland will begin giving some people rapid antigen tests from today.

The protesters at Parliament are certainly not all far-right activists - but those who aren't risk being radicalised into committing violence, a researcher says.

Hundreds of police staff have cordoned off the protest at Parliament in a bid to open some of the roads back up to Wellington.

Primary school principals say the proposal does not make sense and comes just as foreign families are lining up to enrol their children next year after borders reopen.