The Government plans to increase the application fee when it extends the passport validity, even though there seems no grounds for doing so.

The return to 10-year passports could come about in around six months' time, according to the Prime Minister.

New Zealanders are set to enjoy 10-year passports once again - but at a price.

The father of Lydia Ko says he is planning to take legal action against Auckland Korean Society members who he claims have severely damaged Ko's image.

Police were called to Auckland Korean Society after meeting on secret donations to golfing superstar Lydia Ko’s family turned nasty.

The bid by Phillip John Smith and his sister to have their case transferred to the High Court has been delayed until May.

Donations of more than $100,000 from a Korean Government bank to golfing superstar Lydia Ko's family were secretly filtered through an Auckland charity.

The Corrections Department has given the names of 10,000 offenders to border officials in a bid to prevent another escape in the wake of the Phillip Smith case.

The stepfather of murderer and paedophile Phillip John Smith believes a woman accused of helping him flee authorities was conned.

A woman has been charged with assisting murderer and paedophile Philip John Smith to flee the country last year.

A stalwart of the racing industry among those facing claims of a $30 million pokie fraud has spoken of the sport being starved of cash.

A former chairman of Harness Racing NZ and three others have been charged over an alleged $30m pokie fraud, in the biggest case ever of its kind outside of a casino.

Cases such as Phillip Smith's flight from New Zealand on an allegedly unlawfully obtained passport are not behind a review of how public records are accessed, officials say.

The Department of Internal Affairs is reviewing the way people access Births, Deaths and Marriages records.

Police are hunting two men after busting what they believe was an illegal gambling den in one of Auckland's swankiest suburbs.

Charlotte and Oliver continue to top the most popular names for newborns last year in a list dominated by traditional names.

Holes in NZ passport security have been exposed after an illegal immigrant paid for two false identities and the copies ended up linked to a terror plot.

It was a sting operation - but Internal Affairs is disappointed just one gambling venue out of 102 stopped their fake addict from gambling.

The Department of Corrections underestimated Phillip Smith when they planned his temporary release from prison, an inquiry has found.

The Government has confirmed the terms of reference for an independent inquiry into the escape of convicted killer Phillip Smith.

The victims of convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip Smith have approached a lawyer to represent them. So what are they seeking?

Prime Minister John Key says a government inquiry will be held into events around convicted paedophile and murderer Phillip Smith's escape to Brazil.

Cabinet will consider whether there is a need for a wide-ranging inquiry into convicted murderer and paedophile Phillip Smith’s escape from the country.

The offending of a former Department of Internal Affairs worker left one of his victims worried that his family's citizenship bid was in danger.

A plate of protected Antarctic toothfish and controversial dish foie gras were on the table at a lavish taxpayer-funded dinner hosted by Trade Minister Tim Groser.