December 13 2021 Auckland will move to the orange traffic light setting at 11.59pm on Thursday, December 30. Remaining areas in red, excluding Northland, will also move to orange on December 30.
December 9 2021 People aged 14 and under will soon never be able to legally buy tobacco, under new legislation being announced today. PM Jacinda Ardern said the action plan was focused on ensuring young people did not take up smoking in the first place.
December 8 2021 A further 14 baggage handlers, gang members and associates have been arrested as part of a major crackdown on an alleged drug smuggling ring operating from Auckland Airport and Ports of Auckland.
December 7 2021 The first parliamentary showdown between Christopher Luxon's new-look National Party and Jacinda Ardern's Labour Government did not disappoint.
December 6 2021 PM Jacinda Ardern says Pharmac has secured 60,000 doses of Pfizer's new antiviral medicine. It had up to 90% reduction in death, and could be taken at the first stage of someone getting unwell with Covid-19.
December 6 2021 National has unveiled its new-look line up with big promotions for Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford, now ranked fourth and seventh. Bishop has been reunited with the shadow leader of the house portfolio, which Collins stripped him of.
December 4 2021 There were 98 new community cases of Covid-19 in the community today, as businesses around the country get used to the traffic light system and Aucklanders celebrate their freedom.
December 3 2021 There are 92 new Covid community cases on day one of the nation's move to the new traffic light system. The last day New Zealand recorded under 100 community cases was October 28, with 89 cases.
December 2 2021 National MP Simon Bridges has been given the key finance and infrastructure portfolios by new leader Christopher Luxon - handing him the third ranking in his caucus.
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins says that the Omicron variant is "not a cause for panic" as NZ experts track its impact overseas. Video / Pool
December 1 2021 Aucklanders are being offered 100,000 vouchers this summer for a range of activities in a bid to "reactivate" the city as it shakes off the shackles of nearly four months in lockdown.
November 30 2021 Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis are the "reset" the National Party and New Zealand needs. This was the message during Luxon's first press conference as National leader.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is in Hamilton supporting vaccination efforts and meeting with the business community.
November 29 2021 Most of the upper North Island - including Auckland - will go straight into the red level under the new traffic light system from Friday, while the whole of the South Island will go to the less restrictive orange.
November 29 2021 Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said police had to deal with "very unpleasant events" today in Auckland. Coster said three police officers were injured and police shot a man dead after he shot at officers.
Max Carter (Scots College, Wellington) wins the 2021 Aotearoa New Zealand Spelling Bee.
November 26 2021. There are 173 new cases of Covid-19 in the community today. Of those cases, 154 are in Auckland, 15 are in the Waikato, one is in Northland, two are in the Bay of Plenty and one is in Lakes DHB. There is also a case in Canterbury, who was already in isolation.
Former leader Simon Bridges has revealed he is considering seeking a return to the role - saying National under Collins "haven't done a good enough job".
National MPs will elect a new leader on Tuesday after a bruising caucus session dumped Judith Collins on what has been described as "not our best day" for the party.
November 25 2021 PM Jacinda Ardern said Auckland will start at the red traffic light setting next week to make sure restrictions were eased in a careful way so case numbers don't balloon.
November 24 2021 The Reserve Bank has today hiked the official cash rate by 0.25 per cent to 0.75 per cent. That 25-basis-point hike was the first for the RBNZ in seven years.
November 24 2021 The managed isolation system at NZ's border is being dismantled for fully vaccinated Kiwis and travellers will be able to bypass it from early next year. It comes as officials announced there are 215 Covid-19 cases today.
November 23 2021 The Government has unveiled a tool to be used to help businesses and employers decide when workers need to be vaccinated.
Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper questions Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during a post-Cabinet media conference. Video / NZ Herald
November 22 2021 The whole of NZ will move into the traffic light framework at 11.59pm on Thursday, December 2. Cabinet has also allowed for hairdressers and barbers in Auckland to open from Thursday to vaccinated people.
PM Jacinda Ardern urges Aucklanders to prepare for the traffic light system after meeting with business leaders in Christchurch. Video / George Heard
November 18 2021 Deputy PM Grant Robertson spent the day speaking with Auckland businesses about the next steps for the region and the country. There has been frustration but he has not heard much anger, Robertson said.
PM Jacinda Ardern and Associate Minister of Health Peeni Henare speak to media in Tairāwhiti. Video / Supplied
Although Pike River Recovery Minister Andrew Little said Wednesday’s discovery was ‘significant’ he said there is no consideration to unseal the mine. Video / Mark Mitchell
November 17 2021 People will be able to travel to or from Auckland from December 15 if they have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine or have returned a negative test. There are 194 cases of Covid-19 in the community today and a further person has died with the virus.
Ministry of Health officials and public health experts on how high vaccination rates affect the response to Covid-19.
November 15 2021 Cabinet has agreed to move Waikato to alert level 2 from midnight tomorrow - and the rollout of booster vaccination shots will start from November 29.
Funerals, tangihanga and burials have a 25-person limit under level 3, step 2.
November 12 2021 There are 201 new Covid-19 community cases today on a day the virus was confirmed to have been found in Taranaki. Of these 181 are in Auckland, 15 in Waikato, four are in Northland and one is in Taranaki.