Stories by Joanna MacKenzie

A New Zealand makeup artist who has worked on Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Sherlock and X-Men First Class is in with a chance for a "little gold statue".

The grandmother of Moko Rangitoheriri told an inquest of her frustration and helplessness at not being able to help the toddler. Audio

The mother of Moko Rangitoheriri has given emotional and tense evidence at the inquest into her toddler son's death in 2015.

Despite being rescued once from a watery grave, the future is uncertain for the 112-year-old ferry Kestrel.

More people were diagnosed with HIV in New Zealand last year than in any year since records began in 1985. Audio

The owners of an Auckland apartment complex riddled with issues have been hit with a $32.8m repair bill - one of the biggest of its kind in New Zealand.

Waikato hospital is so overloaded with patients it had to discharge triple the usual number of people in one day to help free up bed space.

Auckland needs more film studios if it's to meet the huge demand from overseas productions that want to shoot in New Zealand, industry leaders say.

Tourists from overseas are happy to pay more than locals for some attractions like national parks, according to Air New Zealand's chief executive.

The humble feijoa tree in your garden or neighbourhood could be under threat from a tiny, insidious little pest.

Police believe three people were involved in the ram raid theft of two Gottfried Lindauer paintings over the weekend. Audio

An anti-smoking campaigner says legalising nicotine e-cigarettes will replace one addiction with another, while a researcher says there's no evidence vaping leads to radical drops in smoking.

A railway crossing where a person died in a crash between a car and a freight train yesterday is due for an upgrade this year.

Opponents of 1080 poison say new rules giving control of pest management to central Government won't help make New Zealand predator-free. Audio

There was more beer on the shelves in New Zealand in 2016, boosted by an increase in the amount of craft beer for sale.

Living wage campaigners want companies to pay at least $20.20 an hour from July - the minimum they say is needed to provide families with necessities. Audio

The government has ruled out a regional fuel tax for Auckland, leaving the city's mayor looking for new ways to fund transport projects.

An Auckland community is stepping up its fight against the development of a huge retirement village, which has been likened to a prison.

Schools are so desperate for physics teachers that one new graduate applied for a job in the morning and was offered it at lunchtime.

The man convicted of murdering Timaru woman Lisa Blakie almost 17 years ago has been declined parole, for a second time this year.

Emma was among those who began queuing at 4am today: "As long as this poverty thing keeps going we're going to be here."

AA motorists are at odds with Auckland mayor Phil Goff about how to fund the city's transport infrastructure, a new survey has found.

A senior local surf club member who searched for men missing in the Kaipara boat tragedy says the operator erred in judgment by going out in atrocious conditions.

Re-entering the Pike River Mine is not a safe option, the Prime Minister says, but angry families say they have evidence to the contrary. Audio

Two Auckland sisters have waived their right to anonymity so they can name their stepfather who sexually abused them.