Stories by Mackenzie Smith

New Zealand's Auditor-General has warned Niue over poor financial record-keeping, misused donor funds, and a budget blow-out of more than $NZ1 million.

Illegal community checkpoints on the East Coast are being credited for the low presence of Covid-19 in the region.

The decision to relax the rules for who gets Covid-19 testing is forcing one District Health Board to try to stem the number of people without symptoms turning up.

The popular video calling app Houseparty breaches its users' privacy, and tighter government controls are needed, experts say.

New Zealanders who claim to have been scammed by a multibillion-dollar cryptocurrency scheme are disappointed the government has decided not to investigate it.

Health experts are warning web-disseminated bogus health advice on ways to avoid the Wuhan coronavirus could compound the current outbreak in Australasia if not put in check.

New Zealanders in Wuhan are asking the government to urgently get them out of the Chinese city that is the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus.

Health experts are urging the government to take steps to prevent the 'export' of infectious diseases such as coronavirus to the Pacific.

It's the second church to be investigated by the Department of Internal Affairs involving the OneCoin scheme, whose leaders have been charged with fraud by US authorities.

Samoa was warned repeatedly to improve measles vaccination rates, several months before the arrival of a deadly epidemic that has killed 77 people and sickened more than 5000. Audio

NZ provides Tokelau with $13 million in aid each year. But our Auditor-General can't find out how the Pacific nation's government spent $10m.

Nurses and doctors dealing with the measles epidemic in Samoa are overworked - some have been doing 24-hour shifts - and in need of relief, says a Samoan-New Zealand academic.

Tongan police have concluded there was no foul play in the cutting of the country's only undersea internet cable in January.

Vanuatu's government has backtracked on a controversial immigration policy that would racially profile visitors from the Middle East. Audio

New Zealand's administrator to Tokelau played a key role in the illegal suspension of two public servants, the territory's High Court has ruled.

As the Pacific grapples with a deadly measles outbreak, some of the region's smallest states are seeing their health systems put under increasing strain. Audio

Dozens of boats destined for Tokelau have been sitting in storage for more than three years in New Zealand due to shipping delays, frustrating families on the atolls who are dependent on the vessels.

Tuvalu's Human Rights Commissioner is lobbying New Zealand to drop what he describes as discriminatory immigration laws for disabled people. Audio

The Marshall Islands is exploring legal action against the US over a leaking nuclear-waste filled concrete dome. Audio

Solomon Islands' Attorney-General has ordered the termination of a deal to lease an entire island to a Chinese state-linked developer.

China is not engaged in deliberate 'debt trap' diplomacy, a new report says. Audio

A Solomon Islands province has agreed to lease a large island to a Chinese developer to develop into a special economic zone, weeks after the country opened diplomatic ties with China. Audio

More attention needs to be given to countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis, Pacific communities in New Zealand say. Audio

A Solomon Islands diplomatic taskforce has recommended severing ties with Taiwan in favour of China, as the government inches closer to a decision.

Nauru's government has never meddled with the country's courts, says newly elected President Lionel Aingimea, contradicting claims his administration has eased a controversial "blacklist".