Stories by Anneke Smith

Aucklanders are being warned a weekend of extremely wet weather hasn't brought the city any closer to seeing the end of what is a severe drought.

A police officer who raped his female colleague as she slept has been jailed for six years.

A police officer who raped his colleague in Northland last year can now be named.

Convicted double murderer David Tamihere wants a retrial after he was granted a rare Royal Prerogative of Mercy.

Some gym goers are still paying their membership rates in an effort to help businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic.

David Tamihere was convicted in 1990 of the murder of two Swedish tourists.

While there is insufficient evidence to prove either of two sexual assaults a senior Northland police officer is accused of, some of his actions fell short of police standards, the IPCA says.

An Auckland man has been charged with attempting to infect three police officers with Covid-19 by spitting on them.

A mayor in New Zealand's only region that has rid itself of Covid-19 says high testing rates helped stamp out the virus.

The number of urgent protection orders being issued has dramatically halved during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The organisation of defence lawyers - focusing on better outcomes for Māori - is particularly timely amid the Covid-19, its co-founder says.

Chief Justice Winkelmann said the coronavirus outbreak had caused unparalleled disruption to the courts not even seen during world wars.

The Chief High Court judge Justice Geoffrey Venning is stepping down from the top role to return to being a full time judge.

Some courts are deemed an essential service and are continuing to operate at a limited level using remote technology during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A police website for reporting suspected lockdown breaches was so overrun with complaints it crashed just hours after being launched.

District and Youth Courts typically hear about 72,000 hearings a month, but Covid-19 protocols mean just 12,500 will be able to go ahead over the next month.

Today is Rotorua Coroner Wallace Bain's last day at work after 28 years of service.

Court cases are being heard remotely and prisons have shut their gates to visitors as measures to combat Covid-19 ramp up.

A prisoner accused of murdering another inmate has objected to appearing via audio-visual link for a court hearing.

The 29-year-old police officer accused of groping his female colleague and later raping her in a Kerikeri motel as she slept has been found guilty.

The man who murdered British backpacker Grace Millane is appealing his conviction and sentence.

The Crown says a police officer accused of raping his colleague lied to his boss, washed himself and destroyed evidence to cover up the crime.

Myron Felise was jailed for killing 18-year-old Eli Holtz after the teen fired a water pistol at him. He appealed his sentence, arguing PTSD and a deprived background.

The jury in the trial of a police officer accused of raping his colleague has heard the man called a lawyer he knew shortly after the alleged assault.

Coronial services have come under strain in recent years as deaths and caseloads have steadily increased.