Stories by Phil Pennington
News
Police hide assessment of system for reporting security threats
Police have blanked out virtually the entire contents of an assessment of a new public reporting system for security threats.
Nearly $50m of repairs to SH1 between Auckland and Hamilton delayed further
Almost $50 million of repairs to State Highway 1 between Auckland and Hamilton are mired in delays and question marks.
Government considering different funding models to build new hospitals
The coalition deal with ACT commits the government to investigate build and lease-back arrangements.
Project to reduce court cases backlog hit with 'staffing and resourcing challenges'
A new way to unjam the country's logjammed courts, the Backlog Project, has helped a bit - but ran into its own shortages, of staff, communications, targets and direction, even of police cells.
Proposed 'Five AIs Act' may fire up military intelligence cold war with China
US lawmakers are considering a bill that would involve New Zealand joining in on military artificial intelligence to beat out China.
Govt seeks to halt extra pay for public servants fluent in te reo Māori
Public Service Minister Nicola Willis says she will ask for advice on to stop the extra pay being negotiated into future collective agreements.
Transmission Gully wrongly claiming international accreditation for sustainability - certifier
Waka Kotahi has been making exaggerated claims about how 'green' its highways are. This has come to light amid investigations into Transmission Gully's impacts on fish, streams and Porirua Harbour.
No mistrial if High Court guidelines had been available - police
The police say they probably would not have caused a mistrial at a murder trial if they had had High Court guidelines.
Wellington central library $189m rebuild on track
Wellington ratepayers can breathe a sigh of relief that the central library rebuild is not going the way of the Town Hall upgrade.
'Inadequate' fire safety at Rotorua lodge triggers inspection at other boarding houses
Urgent inspections have taken place at Rotorua boarding houses after one was evacuated, and later shut down.
'Our members are pretty grumpy' - Nurses taking legal route over late pay
Te Whatu Ora is months late in changing the pay rates for nurses who are now taking legal action seeking compensation.
USAR teams warn of 'crisis' over 'failing' rescue vehicles - documents
Urban Search and Rescue teams are relying on just three trucks, two of them so old they keep breaking down and pose risks because they lack basic stability control.
USAR specialists warn poor vehicle fleet 'slows response' to emergencies
The country's fleet of specialist search and rescue vehicles is so bad that the rescuers have begun rebelling.
Ministry of Justice's growing reliance on property contractors revealed
The Ministry of Justice has been hiring more and more contractors, some costing thousands of dollars a day.
Transmission Gully's impacts on streams and fish investigated
A landmark Wellington motorway once lauded for its green credentials is being investigated for its impact on streams, native fish and one of the country's most sensitive inlets.
Racial bias expected in government's new Identity Check
A Māori oversight group expects instances of racial bias to come through in a new government-run identification platform - but says improvements will be made.
Name suppression leaves dead toddler 'faceless and nameless' - whānau
Whānau of a toddler killed in Southland say heavy court suppressions have left the boy "invisible".
US contractor late on $475m NZ transport project
A US contractor has signalled it is running behind time on its half-billion-dollar New Zealand transport project.
State must work with primary caregivers on safety plan for at-risk children - coroner
A coroner's report into the death of a toddler shows government agencies were explicitly warned the boy's killer was violent and a risk to children.
New facial recognition tech rolled out despite racial bias concerns
A recent MSD report calls the level of racial bias in the technology "unknown", "unconfirmed" and "untested".
New health system struggled with 'confusion and delays' - report
The nationwide public health system set up last year to address weaknesses exposed by Covid-19 is struggling, according to a review, with such confusion that in one case 10 different groups were doing…
Unclear aims, 'resource constraints' impeding health reforms - progress report
An official gauge of how the country's health reforms are going has found huge gaps of people, planning and resources. Audio
Immigration NZ's paid for but unused spyware for targeting asylum-seekers
An Immigration NZ team targeting mass arrivals by asylum-seekers paid for spyware for two years without using it.
Threat reporting system to counter terrorism, extremist violence in limbo
Four years on from the terrorist attacks that sparked the work, the country still lacks a system the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the attacks urged be set up.