Catherine Hutton

An application for a fresh appeal in Scott Watson's murder conviction claims scientific evidence that helped seal his fate would struggle to stand up in court today. Watson's supporters say the… Audio

Calls for dedicated tournament fan zones are gathering pace, after yet another outbreak of Rugby League World cup-related violence. 53 people were arrested for disorder on Saturday night following… Audio

A former Auckland midwife who is forging presciptions for opiod painkillers for herself has prompted a nationwide warning from the Ministry of Health. The woman, who no longer holds an annual… Audio

Farmers are relieved that science rather than politics will decide whether agriculture should be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme. Under the coalition agreement unveiled yesterday, a new… Audio

Labour is being urged to keep Bill English's pet social welfare project that identifies high risk families and then focuses government help. The so-called Social Investment Approach uses data to… Audio

From Star Wars to Swan Lake - the line up for next year's New Zealand Festival has been revealed. Several hundred gathered at Te Papa in Wellington last night to hear what festival organisers had… Audio

A shortage of nurses on Auckland's North Shore has forced the closure of that area's only acute mental health unit - He Puna Waiora. The union representing the nurses says staff have been working… Audio

Capital and Coast District Health Board is looking to employ unregistered staff to bolster its workforce as the capital's mental health crisis team has one in four positions vacant. And the union says… Audio

The mother of a paranoid schizophrenic says community-care is failing her son and others with the most chronic mental illnesses, and is advocating for hospitals to care for them full time. Audio

The Government underestimated the cost of setting up its flagship agency Oranga Tamariki by more than twenty million dollars. Official documents show the agency thought it could save money by not… Audio

The decision by a Wellington youth clinic to stop taking new clients at the end of last year because of a lack of funding has meant it's had to turn away 800 young people in need of its help. Audio

Child Youth and Family had an exodus of senior social workers in the months leading up to the launch of its much vaunted replacement Oranga Tamariki. As Catherine Hutton reports, it came at a time… Audio

Last year three quarters of parenting applications in the Family Court were filed on an urgent basis by one parent, not both. The government is blaming the lawyers. But lawyers say they are only… Audio

A school teacher threatened by her abusive ex husband spent two years without a protection order, when she should have had one. In a highly criitical decision, the Court of Appeal overruled two lower… Audio

Where does the key to solving the housing crisis lie? No less than four government departments are responsible for tackling the crisis. Social housing researchers are critical of Housing New Zealand's… Audio

Gaping holes in the mental health workforce, including a shortfall of 55 hospital psychiatrists and 40 unfilled jobs in crisis assessment teams, show just how much pressure workers are under… Audio