Level four lockdowns could become a thing of the past if Covid-19 vaccination rates are high enough, the health minister has signalled.

A Tāmaki Makaurau businessman is gathering support for a no-vax, no-entry policy at bars, cafés and restaurants.

A couple has been arrested for using false information to pass the southern Tāmaki Makaurau border to stay in Taupo, and a group was caught fishing in Mission Bay.

Family and friends scoured the rugged King Country coastline today at Marokopa and Kiritehere beaches today, but still had no luck finding Thomas Phillips and his children, or any items of interest.

The woman charged with the murder of her three daughters in their Timaru home on Thursday night has appeared in court this morning.

A body was found at Foxton Beach at about midday today.

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 has jumped after several days of falling numbers, with 20 new cases reported in Auckland today.

Lockdowns and restrictions have pushed some families and groups to the bone financially, and the government needs to offer better support, social support groups say.

The Auckland terrorist's immigration history is a glaring omission in the review of events leading to the 3 September attacks, National says.

Level 3 restrictions and supply chain problems mean a new opening date will need to be set for the $1.2 billion Transmission Gully project, Waka Kotahi says.

Police are still working through DNA evidence to identify the mother of a baby girl whose body was found at an Auckland recycling facility a month ago.

After a slower start Wellington's vaccination rollout has leaped ahead in recent weeks.

Rescuers have managed to free a group of dolphins that had become stranded in Porirua Harbour north of Wellington, however one of the dolphins has died.

One person has died in an early morning crash in Christchurch.

The South's vaccination rollout has hit top gear, and the region leads the country in numbers of people who have had the first shot of the Pfizer vaccine.

Tasman District Council engineers are baffled that clothing and underwear are being flushed down toilets in Māpua.

The trans-Tasman travel bubble is suspended for a further eight weeks, school holiday dates in Auckland remain unchanged and the drive to vaccinate continues.

A woman has been charged with murder after three children were found dead at their Timaru home on Thursday night.