Stories by Katie Todd

Companies grappling with labour shortages and discerning job seekers are turning to hefty cash incentives to recruit staff - offering several-thousand dollar sign on bonuses or finders fees.

Auckland bus drivers working 13 hour shifts to cover staff shortages say their employers needs to take a hard look at the poor pay and "terrible" working conditions they offer.

The Police Association has laid the blame for shootings in Auckland and several scraps in the Far North squarely at the feet of the Tribesmen and Killer Beez gangs.

Auckland's biggest supplier of sand for concrete has decided to lodge an appeal after Auckland Council rejected a bid to take more sand from Pakiri Beach.

A company commissioned by the government has been monitoring social media comments about the Covid-19 response for almost two years, reporting back every four days.

The mayor says the new funding is "fantastic", a property economist says investment allowing future housing is a good thing, and a developer says it's good for people and the environment.

Fifteen to 20 ram raids are being reported each week across the country by members of the Dairy and Business Owners Group.

Women forced to give birth overseas late last year, without any family support, say it is abhorrent health officials thought MIQ wasn't justified at that time.

Top health officials agreed MIQ was "no longer justified" for most returnees months before incoming travellers were able to enter freely, according to a document the Ministry of Health tried to keep…

A group of 27 restaurants and bars on Waiheke Island have turned to WhatsApp to co-ordinate their opening hours, share staff, and combat pandemic pressures.

An Auckland bar that has continued to use vaccine passes has received a one star Facebook review from its own landlord.

Police are accused of letting criminals run rampant in central Auckland and failing business owners, but say they will return to the area with a 'powerful' presence.

The government wants businesses to do their bit to stamp out modern slavery, by reporting on anything amiss in their supply chain.

A so-called grey area in the Covid-19 rules means bars and nightclubs have been hosting parties in the red light setting, free of masks or seated service. Audio

Nearly two-thirds of the people who have died in New Zealand's Omicron outbreak are men, and experts say the science is inconclusive as to why.

An Auckland recruitment company has been fined $3600, and its director $1500, after a Chilean couple seeking work in the horticulture industry were found working illegally at a construction site.

A lengthy queue for new passports is catching out some New Zealanders trying to make the most of eased border restrictions.

Hundreds of Aucklanders are grappling with soggy, smelly and expensive repair work after heavy rain this week, with one store left vunerable after robbers ram-raided it hours before the deluge.

Officials trying to revamp the country's mental health services are accused of being a "sloth at the helm of the Titanic" - but they argue it is a long-term project.

Omicron has put the brakes on booster vaccine rates and communities lagging behind could stay there for some time, but health officials still have to tell some people who have had Covid-19 to wait.

Twenty-three hotels and thousands of managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) rooms are now sitting empty across the country, as the system winds down.

The proposed development has already met fierce opposition from a group of locals, who want it relocated, redesigned or downsized.

Three of the people accused of electoral fraud in relation to the Labour Party are also defending charges in relation to the National Party.

The Reserve Bank unveiled another 25 basis points increase in the OCR, and while it might have been the prudent thing to do, struggling businesses might be in for a cooling in consumer spending.

A man in MIQ has gone on hunger strike over the restrictions on smoking and drinking.