Stories by Alex Ashton
News
Heartbroken mosque founder: 'We feel secure. We trust the NZ society'
The man who built the Al Noor Mosque will return to pray today, even though he says it's now been smeared with blood.
Line workers have strong legal case - Lawyers
Line workers are being told they have a strong case for proving they are employees, not contractors, and could be in for a windfall.
'Working up to 240 hours a month ... $100 a month'
Line workers are trapped in a sham contracting model, they say, which has them working six days a week and still not breaking even.
'Tough target': KiwiBuild contracts just 10% of govt's 100k homes goal
About 10,000 KiwiBuild homes have been contracted to be built by 2028 - just one tenth of the government's 100,000 target.
'Tough target': KiwiBuild contracts just 10% of govt's 100k homes goal
About 10,000 KiwiBuild homes have been contracted to be built by 2028 - just one tenth of the government's 100,000 target.
Medicinal cannabis users fear supply running out amid aerial culls
A mother who gives her son medicinal cannabis to treat his violent seizures is terrified they will be without medicine, following what growers call a massive aerial cull of the crop. Audio
Immigration NZ staff don't know when to prioritise cases - review
Immigration New Zealand mistakenly detained the stepfather of murdered schoolgirl Karla Cardno because it did not have the right paperwork.
Pharmacy wins battle with govt for right to sell kombucha
A Wellington pharmacy has won an expensive legal battle with the government over the right to sell kombucha.
Destiny complains to Waitangi Tribunal over prison programmes
Destiny Church says the Department of Corrections is breaching the Treaty of Waitangi by refusing to let it into prisons.
New Zealand Post to close 79 shops: 'I do have concerns' - PM
New Zealand Post wants to shut its last 79 shops, but will not say when the last branch will close its doors. Audio
Kiwibank customers 'appalled' by branch closures
Kiwibank customers are outraged at news their local branches are being shut.
Minister stands by seclusion room timeline
The Minister of Education is adamant she first heard about the use of seclusion rooms in July, despite a family saying they complained to her a year earlier. Video, Audio
Dairy farmers 'treat those calves like their babies'
Farmers have hit back at claims of widespread mistreatment of bobby calves, after footage emerged of calves being thrown and dragged. Video, Audio
'Tents and warehouses' suggested for homeless
A real estate company suggested housing homeless people in tents and warehouses in an urgent report for the government. Audio
Families housed in garages, cramped rooms, face eviction
A woman who has been renting garages and single rooms to families in South Auckland is kicking her tenants out. Audio
Where are the affordable homes within SHAs?
Would-be buyers are struggling to find affordable homes in Auckland's Special Housing Areas - and so did Checkpoint. Video
Work and Income sent families to garages
Work and Income has admitted it directed desperate people to garages and houses where entire families crowded into a single room. Audio
'Do we just pack up and go on the street?'
A woman borrowing money to stay in a motel says her family is being forced into homelessness by Work and Income. Audio
WINZ fraud debt doubles in five years
Work and Income is owed $180 million from former and current clients who have defrauded the system - and that amount has doubled in five years. Video, Audio
Auckland homeowners: 'We feel so entirely duped by the council'
A couple who just spent their life savings on an Auckland home are so furious with the council's plan to pack more houses into their suburb, they want to sell up.
Boy trapped inside HNZ house
A boy faces once again being trapped inside his home or spending months in hospital while he waits for Housing New Zealand to find a house with wheelchair access. Audio
State care abuse victims suing Ministry of Social Development
People who were abused in state care are suing the government for $740,000 for what they say is a failure to act when they asked for their personal records.
Payouts for underpaid beneficiaries
Beneficiaries who were underpaid by a day's worth of benefit are now getting their money, some receiving hundreds of dollars in back pay.
Rugby World Cup final tickets selling for $1300
Tickets are still available for seats at the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham, with prices ranging from $1300 to an eye-watering $18,000.
Wellington super city plan scrapped
A super city council for the Wellington region is officially off the cards. Audio