Phil Pennington

It's the first morning of Alert Level 1 and a return to a way of life not seen in more than 11 weeks.

We've sent RNZ reporters out into the streets throughout the country as we did at the start of… Audio

Weak building regulations mean it's hard to investigate the safety of crucial earthquake bracing used in schools, hospitals and supermarkets.

Authorities say the regulations are too unclear for them… Audio

Public health units confronting the pandemic are in crisis because they don't have enough doctors.

Funding for training new doctors is so limited, applicants have had to be turned away.

RNZ's Phil… Audio

Blind people are slamming the Government for releasing a contact tracing app they can't use.

They say the Covid Tracer app launched six days ago lacks even the most basic functions to let low vision… Audio

Christchurch Hospital is pushing ahead with a new $150 million medical tower block despite its own doctors pleading that it's far too small.

The five-storey tower will be over half empty because the… Audio

The Canterbury District Health Board is pushing ahead with a new medical block that its own doctors warn is the worst option available.

DHB minutes show the board was pressured to decide for fear of… Audio

One of the most common symptoms of Covid 19 - a sore throat - is not listed on the card everyone must fill-in before being allowed into the country.

The card is a crucial part of the country's… Audio

The Transport Agency estimates allowing people to legally cycle on footpaths could lead to one death and 17 serious injuries a year but still have a $10 million dollar up-side.

But opponents say the… Audio

It's the first morning of Alert Level 2 after nearly seven weeks of strict lockdown protocols in New Zealand.

This means most people can go back to work with almost all businesses except for bars… Audio

Staggered starts at work, buses running at maximum while half full, and limits on the lifts are among the prospects facing office workers heading into Covid-19 Alert Level 2.

Everyone will find out… Audio

The construction industry says staff turnover issues within a branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment appear to have improved under the Covid response.

Incredibly high turnover… Audio

Travellers returning to New Zealand to see a family member who is dying are not being allowed out of managed isolation.

So far all 24 people who have applied for an exemption to visit a relative who… Audio

Vulnerable fast food workers are speaking up about feeling unsafe but are afraid to challenge breaches of Covid-19 rules at their restaurants.

The Government says it hopes workers will speak up, but… Audio

Complaints are flooding in about businesses breaching Alert Level 3 restrictions meant to squeeze the life from Covid-19.

There is uncertainty and disbelief around who's policing the breaches and if… Audio

New Zealand is now at Alert Level 3, which which reduces restrictions on businesses and schooling and will see hundreds of thousands more people out and about.

However we're still being asked to stay… Audio

 A Bill enabling the police and foreign security agencies to intercept private cellphone calls during the APEC summit is being amended to stop it from happening .

The Apec summit is set to go ahead… Audio

The secretive US data firm Palantir run by billionaire and New Zealand citizen Peter Thiel is in talks with the Government here about combating Covid-19.

Palantir has worked for spy agencies in the… Audio

The Health Ministry has been consulting with the state spy agency, the GCSB, about how best to trace people as it works to get its Covid-19 systems up to speed.

A tech industry leader says it's… Audio

The Prime Minister is promising stricter border controls after an epidemiologist warned that without urgent tightening of them, lockdown should not be lifted.

Jacinda Ardern says there is no evidence… Audio

An Auckland woman who caught Covid-19 from her daughter, has infected her boss, who then infected her husband - and all of them spent days trying to get tested but were either put off or refused.

The… Audio