Russell Palmer

After reports of MIQ staff facing increasing violence, government ministers say the system is under pressure - and the coming shift to shorter stays will be a crunch point.

Public sector advisor Doug Martin will head up the working group on Three Waters as its independent chair, Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced.

Māori Development Minister Willie Jackson says he is disappointed Māori vaccine data has not been provided to the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency.

Politicians of all stripes say the protests at Parliament today represent just a small minority of New Zealanders, as first-dose vaccination rates near the 90 percent mark.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will meet with workers, businesspeople and frontline health workers on her visit to Auckland tomorrow, but is not expected to be out and about in public.

Explainer - Sometime soon, the alert level system which is becoming increasingly complex, will be replaced with traffic lights. Join RNZ for a journey into the future to see what that means.

Disability communities have largely welcomed the establishment of a new Ministry for Disabled People, saying it has the potential to improve disabled lives.

A new Ministry for Disabled People will be set up as the government rolls out a different approach to support services and brings in a new law to make Aotearoa more accessible.

The government is considering requiring some travellers to be vaccinated to fly between regions, but warns there are complications to account for.

Opposition parties would return water infrastructure to councils, they say, and they doubt the proposed working groups will address concerns about governance, ownership and accountability.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she does not need to travel to Auckland to understand the impact of the lockdown there.

National Party leader Judith Collins has come out firmly against creating a "two-class system" by bringing in vaccine certificates, but she also wants to bring in vaccine certificates.

MIQ changes being announced this week will free up facilities to accommodate demand from New Zealanders overseas and from the Delta outbreak, the Covid-19 Response Minister says.

National and ACT say the government's planned move from alert levels to a traffic light system is confusing and slow, as the Māori Party and Greens urge more protection for the vulnerable.

New Zealand has agreed in principle to the United Kingdom's second free trade deal since Brexit, eventually eliminating tariffs on all New Zealand exports to the country.

The government says the National Party's Covid-19 business plan is economically illiterate, while others say it puts Māori, Pacific people and other vulnerable communities at risk. Audio

Explainer - Councils and the government seem at odds over massive water infrastructure reforms - but is your water system in the drink? RNZ is here to clear it all up.

The government is set to expedite thousands of residence visa applications, RNZ understands.

The National Party is calling for New Zealand to first end lockdowns then reopen to the world based on two vaccination targets.

Mayors around the country are lining up for a fight as the controversial Three Waters reforms approach another deadline.

The climate minister's trip to the COP26 conference and his delegation's use of MIQ spaces upon their return is again being criticised by the opposition.

New Zealand needs to be careful not to be left behind as some of its close partners agree to share defence resources, but politically and on trade the move is good for Aotearoa, politicians and…

The proposed law banning conversion therapy practices is not strong enough, some submitters have argued, and needs work to ensure it will do what it aims to.

Church groups making oral submissions on the bill banning conversion therapy have offered a range of views about it, some calling for it to be scrapped outright and others in firm support.

The plan to reopen New Zealand to the world with a risk-based border has not changed in light of the Delta variant, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says, but there may be some delays.