Stories by Ruth Hill

Law changes to curb binge-drinking introduced six years ago have largely failed, new research has found.

Australian children from poorer families - including babies under one-years-old - are more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs for behaviour problems than others the same age.

A company behind a big construction firm that was ordered to pay millions for building a leaking high school has gone into receivership.

Almost a third of lawyers have received unwanted sexual attention and nearly 90 percent say they have experienced or seen harassment and bullying, according to a survey.

The government has dismissed officials' warnings that a rise in the minimum wage could cost jobs and push up prices.

The Health Minister is demanding answers from South Auckland health bosses after they failed to tell him the full extent of the leaky building crisis at Middlemore Hospital. Audio

Four big Middlemore Hospital buildings, including the children's hospital, that serve thousands of South Auckland people are full of rot and dangerous mould that could make staff and patients sick.

A man with mental health problems is facing eviction by the council using a law, which the Prime Minister has criticised as unfair to tenants.

Christmas shoppers are increasingly avoiding the last-minute dash to the store by going online.

Wellington's unusually long spell of sunny weather has forced authorities to dip into its storage lakes two months earlier than usual.

The minister responsible for Pike River re-entry says further legal action against the mine's boss is unlikely. Video, Audio

A Lower Hutt man who was pepper sprayed by officers trying to serve a trespass notice on him was within his rights to stop them entering his home, the police watchdog says.

Wellington's soon-to-be scrapped trolley buses cost about $6 million more to operate each year compared with running the same number of diesel buses, according to the regional council.

The distinctive rattle and hum of Wellington's trolley buses is set to be silenced forever on Halloween.

Love is in the air for the rare takahē, with the number of breeding pairs topping 100 for the first time in 70 years ago.

Visitors to some porn websites may have been duped into downloading malicious software, the government's cyber security watchdog is warning.

Chemicals from plastic and paper packaging are leaching into some foods sold in New Zealand, new research shows.

The Defence Force stands by the findings of its official investigation but accepts friendly fire may have played a bigger role in a deadly firefight in Afghanistan in 2012.

Two complaints of sexual assault of young girls living at the same state-run home shows the urgent need for an independent watchdog to protect the interests of children in care, the Children's…

Choosing between paying the rent and putting food on the table is life for many sole parents reliant on a benefit.

Scientists feel 'stymied' by irrational prejudice against GM, a New Zealand scientist says.

A new law recommended by the Law Commission would recognise family violence victims who kill are usually reacting to years of mounting abuse.

Agencies and scrambling to cope with Kiwi criminals deported from Australia due to a lack of government support, a Christchurch doctor says.

The government is not inclined to change the law to make it easier to comply with the Holidays Act, despite widespread payroll problems. Audio

For the first time, New Zealand has been invited to take part in Australia's biggest mock war exercise with the United States - Talisman Sabre.