EXCLUSIVE: Water bills in the country's largest city may have to rise to stop raw sewage flowing into Auckland Harbour almost every time it rains.

Swimming has been banned at 10 Auckland beaches this summer because of worsening pollution from human and animal wastes.

Aucklanders have been waiting a long time for the day they will no longer see health warnings appear on some of their beaches after heavy rain.

Experts warn we shouldn't swim at any beach in the Auckland region after heavy rain. Simon Collins finds out why.

Fed up with severe smog, Chinese tourists are swarming abroad to countries with "clean air" on their latest travel trend: "lung cleansing" tours.

Popular stop-off for motorists and a favourite for holidaymakers, Lake Tūtira, is no longer a safe swimming spot due to its poor water quality. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

In the last of a five-part series looking at research in Auckland's blue backyard, an expert discusses how far our ocean ecosystems can be pushed.

In the second of a five part series on Auckland's big blue backyard, science reporter Jamie Morton talks to seabird expert Dr Brendon Dunphy.

COMMENT: Reliable as clockwork, and right on cue, DairyNZ stepped up to the microphone and shot themselves in the head.

The domes, manufactured by MetaSpace Air Dome Corp uses filtration systems to keep the air inside pollution-free.

A Lord of the Rings actor who now works as a tour guide operator has slammed New Zealand's "clean, green" image.

Fewer than half of councils have enough staff trained to respond to marine oil spills.

About half a dozen online retailers are selling "pure, hand-bottled, pollution-free, oxygen-rich air from New Zealand" to people in China's smoggy northern cities.

Taranaki Iwi and environmental groups are bitterly disappointed. "The failings of our government and the failings of DOC especially, means we have to go out and fight these corporations off". Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Stopping the flow of pollutants into urban Whangarei's 6000 stormwater traps and planting trees along the waterways could all help

COMMENT: Scientists have taken phytoremediation one step further by combining it with nanobionics - the process of modifying biology with engineering.

What's lurking beneath the surface in the Wellington Harbour?

A truck carrying an estimated 5700 litres of bitumen crashed between Feilding and Halcombe this morning.

The jobs of more than 100,000 New Zealanders are linked to the seas which circle the country.

The chairman of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council Doug Leeder explains that the water quality issue is a problem everybody needs to get their heads around, whether they live in a rural or urban environment. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Scientists taking a toll of the damage done to the Great Barrier Reef say large parts of formerly pristine coral has died.

For Labour, it is critical that we have an integrated across government plan to reduce emissions.

Levels of arsenic higher than the acceptable level for drinking water have been found in the Hawea Flat Kindergarten's supply.

Residents living near the Levin Landfill are putting up a fight against Horowhenua District Council to have the dump closed. They say it is a short-sited, money-making venture and the council has neglected social, cultural and environmental aspects of the dump and the surrounding community. Made with funding from NZ on Air

Seabed mining is back in the spotlight as Trans Tasman Resources submits second application for consent to mine off the South Taranaki coast.

Emergency services are scrambling to prevent polluted waste spilling into waterways after a tanker crashed in South Auckland.

Oil giant Mobil has escaped a $10m bill for the cleanup of a contaminated area of Auckland's Wynyard Quarter after winning a Supreme Court appeal

COMMENT: Sometimes, measures that help the environment are so obviously going to save money at the same time, that they are a no brainer, writes Sam Judd.

COMMENT: The two biggest causes of air pollution - open fires and transport - are highly challenging to address, writes Sam Judd. But each year, NZ families suffer 1,175 premature deaths because of air pollution.