Families across Aotearoa are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living rises, and they are being forced to make the tough calls over the basics.

While it's too early to know if Omicron will lead to many long Covid cases limited support is available for those who develop the debilitating condition, experts says.

A mother says health authorities should be more upfront with parents, after she was told she could take her children for second doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in half the official timeframe.

The Royal Commission investigating abuse in care has heard from Māori who said the Adoption Act was used as a tool of assimilation.

A borehole drilling investigation to gather footage inside the Pike River Mine has come to an end, with images taken over the past two years showing the remains of eight men.

A senior firefighter has left the only association for volunteers after its chief executive, who has faced sexual assault allegations from women, made a post celebrating International Women's Day yesterday.

Forest and Bird says reports from fishing boat observers shows brutal treatment of shark by-catch.

The Ministry of Health is reporting 22,454 new community cases of Covid-19 and four further deaths today, with 742 people in hospital with the virus.

Protesters opposing Covid-19 vaccine mandates appear to be sticking to their word and packing up their illegal camp in a central Christchurch park.

A 56-year-old man has been found dead at a rural property in the village of Hope, south of Nelson, today.

A survivor of the Christchurch mosque massacre, who is walking 350 kilometres from Dunedin to Christchurch, is currently in Timaru Hospital with a blood infection.

A man with 12 outstanding warrants for his arrest in has now been found by police.

The isolation period for Covid-19 cases and their household contacts is reducing to one week, down from 10 days, from this Friday.

More than 40 years ago the man who found a meteorite billions of years old hit it with a sledgehammer - unaware of its significance.

Migrants who will soon become residents under a government fast-tracked visa process are being offered more than $30,000 to enter bogus marriages, according to an immigration adviser.

Māori children who were put through state care as children have spoken of the indignity of being stripped of their identity.

A pop-up, drive-through vaccination clinic will open this week in Queenstown after close to 1600 people received Covid-19 vaccines that were stored incorrectly.

There are now hundreds of prisoners infected with Covid-19 in the country's Corrections facilities.