In the middle of a pandemic, how dangerous is dropping your mask and downing a few beers in a bar? Are you risking a side of Covid with your cocktail?

A man has been taken into custody following a firearms incident in West Auckland that left two people dead.

Timaru's mayor says he'll poll his council on whether the town should pay towards Christchurch's newly green lit stadium but he knows the answer already - it's a hard no.

A man has now been charged with the murder of Maria Brown.

There have been 10,470 new cases of Covid-19 in the community and a further 16 deaths with the virus reported today, the Ministry of Health says.

The government is giving builders and developers an extra six months to comply with stricter insulation requirements in new homes, which were due to come into force in November.

Members of several gangs have been arrested, with one man facing 20 charges involving armed robbery and possession of firearms and drugs.

Before packed houses of 40,000 people every day for just over a week at Eden Park, Empire Games athletes battled for imperial pride.

Northland's regional economic development agency says the huge potential economic boon will only be possible with improved infrastructure.

The police in Levin have arrested and charged a man in relation to a violent home invasion in Otaki last week.

The medical director of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners says over-the-counter access to antiviral drugs for Covid-19 will need to be carefully managed.

Horrific stories of abuse continue to emerge at the Royal Commission Inquiry into disability, deaf, and mental health institutional care.

The new stadium could see rates rise by $144 per year but some councillors believe they could soften the blow by asking neighbouring councils to chip in, selling assets or reprioritising other projects.

Doctors say if new Covid-19 measures fail to work, they could be faced with making drastic decisions about which urgent patients to treat.

Tangata whenua in Napier want to ensure a fertiliser plant won't degrade the environment any more than it already has.

A husband and wife who both have terminal lung cancer have crowd-sourced $227,000 that will help pay for a year of unfunded treatment.

The NZ Media Council has upheld a complaint against RNZ for multiple inaccuracies in a story run in April this year about a mix up of client files at ACC.

An Automobile Association advisor says the end of fuel tax relief will see chaos at the pumps.