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.

The desperate search for a passenger jet that vanished has been significantly expanded, as anger grows in China at the response by Malaysian authorities.

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 – with 239 people on board – is unusual in that two days after the plane lost communication there is no reliable evidence of debris.

A Dunedin man has changed his name to 'Full Metal Havok More Sexy N Intelligent Than Spock And All The Superheroes Combined With Frostnova' after losing a bet.

A group lobbying for a return to a 10-year passport claims New Zealand passports are more expensive per year than most other comparable countries.

A controversial cancer charity will not face prosecution after it voluntarily de-registered as a charity during a probe into its spending.

NZ passports have been found in the hands of a dangerous master forger who allegedly supplied fake documents to terrorists, drug smugglers and human traffickers around the world.

Internal Affairs Minister and Napier MP Chris Tremain has requested a report into how a British killer managed to obtain a New Zealand passport issued in the name of a severely brain-damaged Hastings man.

A convicted killer who stole the identity of a brain-damaged man appeared in an Australian court several times before police realised who he really was.

A British man, who escaped UK jail after stabbing his aunt 70 times, has been living in NZ, where he stole a disabled man's identity

Babies and toddlers are increasingly becoming targets for paedophiles, a child safety group has said in the wake of a horrific child abuse case.

An ex-government employee had around 1400 'upskirt' recordings of women and schoolgirls, police say.

A man is before the courts after allegedly making covert recordings of people in a Wellington bathroom while he worked for the Department of Internal Affairs.

Businesses which drag their heels or fail to comply with a new anti-money laundering and terrorism financing law should expect to face firm action, say regulators.

A 7-year-old girl has been banned from entering New Zealand with her adopted parents because authorities say she is too sick to live here.

A cancer charity under investigation over its spending has stopped paying its staff while it considers whether to resume operations in New Zealand.