November 11 2021 Alleged drug smugglers accused of bringing millions of dollars' worth of cocaine from Colombia into New Zealand allegedly have direct links to the feared Medellin cartel, it's understood.

November 10 2021 There are 147 new community cases today and a man isolating at home with Covid-19 in Auckland has died suddenly, the Ministry of Health says. Of today's cases, 131 are in Auckland, 14 in Waikato and two are in Northland.

November 10 2021 As the Delta outbreak's total case numbers approached 4000, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made her first visit to Auckland after three months into lockdown.

November 9 2021 Connor Whitehead's father James said they were shocked and heartbroken at the loss of Connor in such a senseless manner. Connor loved music and planned to study law - and those dreams had been cruelly taken away.

November 9 2021 Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the messages from anti-vaxxers or protesters marching to parliament today did not represent the majority of New Zealanders.

November 8 2021 Auckland will move to step 2 of alert level 3 at 11:59pm tomorrow. On Northland, the upper region will move alert level 2 at 11:59pm on Thursday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced a boost in Working for Families payments for those on low incomes, and a top-up to the Best Start payment for parents of new babies.

November 5 2021 There are a record 163 new cases of Covid-19 today. 159 are in Auckland and four are in Waikato. A second person isolating at home with Covid has died. Paramedics were called to a Mt Eden address.

Cleo Smith, who had been missing for 18 days after disappearing from the family tent at the Quobba Blowholes campground, was found "alive and well" in the early hours of Wednesday morning at a residential address.

November 2 2021 The top of Northland will go into alert level 3 tonight after fears of undetected community transmission of Covid-19.

'We've not set any date on its removal" - Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the Auckland/Northland border.

November 1 2021 Cabinet has made an in-principle decision to move Auckland to level three, step two from next Tuesday at 11.59pm. Waikato will also see an easing of restrictions to step two from tomorrow at 11.59pm.

October 28 2021 There are 89 new Covid-19 cases in the community today. Eighty-three of the cases are in Auckland, four are in Waikato and two are in Christchurch. The Government will hold Christchurch at alert level 2.

October 27 2021 There are 74 Covid cases in the community today, as the Government reveals a tentative plan for primary schoolchildren to return to classes on November 15.

The Government is set to force through its Three Waters reforms, u-turning on a previous promise to make it voluntary for councils to join up to the amalgamation plan.

October 26 2021 Workers at businesses where vaccine passports are required will have four weeks to get the jab - or risk losing their jobs.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reacts as earthquake strikes during press conference. Video / NZ Herald

October 22 2021 'Listen to the heartbreak' - National leader Judith Collins responds to PM Jacinda Ardern's announcement of a new traffic light system used to manage Covid-19.

October 20 2021 The number of new Covid-19 cases dropped to 60 today but Dr Ashley Bloomfield warns that infections are likely to keep rising. Fifty-six of the new cases are in Auckland and four are in Waikato.

October 20 2021 Judith Collins has set targets of either 85-90 per cent vaccinations or December 1 for when the party believes Covid-19 restrictions should end, and the borders start to re-open.

Auckland has seen a surge in Covid cases with 94 reported today - the highest daily number since the pandemic arrived in this country in March last year. A total of 87 are in Auckland and seven in Waikato.

Labour and National have joined forces behind a radical new housing policy, the Housing Supply Bill, which they say will help address the housing crisis by allowing as many as 105,500 new homes to be built in less than a decade.

October 18 2021 Auckland will stay at level 3 with existing restrictions for the at least two weeks. In Northland will move to level 2 at 11.59pm on Tuesday 19 October. The rest of New Zealand will remain at level 2.

Watch: Kiwis have smashed the government's 'Super Saturday' goal of 100,000 vaccine doses today - and Auckland should hit the 90 per cent first-dose target in the next five days.

October 14 2021 There are 71 new Covid-19 cases today in the community today. The number of daily cases is expected to double in the next 14 days.

October 13 2021 There are 55 new Covid-19 cases and Northland and Waikato will remain in alert level 3 for another five days.

There are 43 new Covid-19 cases in the community today after confirmation that the Northland traveller picked up by police last night has tested positive. 40 of today's cases are in Auckland and three are in Waikato.

October 11 2021 Covid-19 restrictions in Auckland won't be relaxed as alert level 3 "as it stands" will stay in place for another week. Waikato and Northland will remain at alert level 3 until 11:59pm on Thursday.

October 8 2021 Northland will move to level 3 from 11.59pm tonight after an Aucklander with Covid obtained travel documents and spent several days in the region.

October 7 2021 There are 29 Covid cases in the community today, including five in Waikato - prompting the current boundary to be extended to the south from 11.59pm tonight.