At present, almost half of NZ's children do not regularly attend school. The government is launching a marketing campaign to try to fix that.

A wealthy businessman at the centre of a political donations trial offered $33 million as bail security in his bid to travel overseas - the largest sum ever put on the Crown's table in New Zealand, a court has been told.

Cabinet approved the plans a year ago but then decided against the move, briefing papers show.

Police will be out in force tomorrow with a large anti-government protest planned for Parliament.

A New Zealand woman in South Korea is believed to be a family member of the two children whose remains were found in suitcases in Auckland last week, Seoul police say.

A pensioner stranded overseas for months due to Covid-19 border restrictions has won a drawn out battle with MSD over her super payments.

An elderly woman suffered unnecessary distress when her hands and arms were bandaged to prevent her from moving them, the health and disability commissioner says.

There are 2706 new community cases and nine Covid-19 related deaths to report today, the Ministry of Health says.

The Department of Corrections has been told to apologise to a woman who sought medical care while incarcerated, after they did not inform her of an abnormal test result until two years later.

Authorities trying to curb the flow of illegally obtained two-way radio devices have charged a Northland man with importing them without a licence.

Alan Hall already has a plan for how he would spend compensation, if he was to receive it, his brother says.

Rich and powerful interests in healthcare are clashing, with each side accusing the other of putting money ahead of patient welfare.

Jacinda Ardern says the team assessing the flood damage in Nelson are working very quickly to try and get people safely back into their homes.

Marlborough is in recovery mode after days of intense rain, but its mayor warns it will take years to repair all the damage.

Slips, felled trees and debris continue to be a problem in and around the capital with roads closed and more rain due later in the week.

Women who accused a senior male gynaecologist of bad behaviour are relieved he is retiring as allegations from a third patient come to light.

Surgeons are still taking a pen to their theatre lists every day, cancelling patients' operations at the last minute.

Some people in flood-torn Nelson have been told their homes are unliveable with hundreds of homes still awaiting assessments.