Stories by Michael Hall
News
Long Covid: Concern over support as Air NZ refuses cover to ex-employee
The government is being urged to remove any impediments facing Long Covid sufferers seeking financial support after Air New Zealand declined injury cover to a sufferer it made redundant.
Green Party discontent: Members walk, ex-MPs criticise leadership
Former senior figures have accused the Greens of jettisoning core principles as party discontent surfaces over its co-operation agreement in government.
What life is like with a post-viral illness
First Person - As many fear what getting Long Covid may look like, Mick Hall shares his experience of living with post-viral illness for over a decade.
Is Long Covid a new type of chronic fatigue syndrome?
Health organisations across the world are rushing to prepare for a wave of debilitating post-Covid-19 illness that we know little about. But could Long Covid be connected to chronic fatigue syndrome?
Expert says some chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers should be exempt from Covid-19 vaccination
One of the country's leading biomedical scientists has written to the prime minister and director-general of health urging vaccination exemptions for chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers.
Can Labour tackle the housing crisis like its lauded party predecessors? What you need to know
Analysis - Some are urging the government to tackle the housing crisis - now flagged as a human rights issue - like the first Labour administration of 1935-49. But can it do so?
Principal pushes to know why a predator priest was sent to school
The principal of a Northland Catholic college is pushing to know why a predator priest was sent to his school to take up the role as rector there in the late 1970s.
PM's earrings help fledgling jewellery firm through financial downturn
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's feather-earring fashion statement at a recent media briefing has seen demand for the upcycled jewellery soar.
Northland woman calls for mobile testing units after Covid-19 runaround
A woman considered high-risk of having Covid-19 is calling for the deployment of mobile diagnostic teams after struggling to get tested following a trip to southeast Asia.
'I was in disbelief' - Abuse survivor says govt agency failed to protect her
An abuse survivor is asking the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate why a government agency failed to protect her when made aware of allegations she was being raped while in care.
Claims disgraced bishop failed to safeguard people in diocese
Claims of a sex abuse cover-up and a failure to adequately protect women from sexual predation by a monk have surfaced in the diocese of disgraced bishop Charles Drennan.
Local bishops 'thumbing noses at Pope' over confidentiality
New Zealand's Catholic bishops have been accused of lacking moral leadership as church groups decide whether to waive confidentiality clauses in compensation agreements reached with abuse survivors.
DHB 'looking to make changes' after patient left brain damaged
Auckland Hospital staff have apologised to a Dargaville builder left with brain damage after he was given an overdose of morphine.
State abuse inquiry: Scope of probe into gang member remains unclear
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic state abuse has refused to clarify whether an independent probe into the behaviour of a senior official will look at the adequacy of its own response to…
Gang member's role in commission 'untenable' for survivors - campaigner
A high-profile gang member with a domestic violence conviction is playing a key role within the Royal Commission of Inquiry into state abuse, despite one woman going to police over safety fears.
Builder suffers brain damage after receiving pain relief
A Dargaville woman is demanding answers after her husband went into hospital for pain relief and came out with brain damage.
Questions on conflict of interest in abuse inquiry 'shut down'
The government's historical abuse inquiry has been accused of shutting down questions on potential conflicts of interest and condemned as unsafe for survivors, with one senior official being described…
Is polyamory on the rise?
Interest in polyamorous lifestyles may go beyond mere titillation, says an Auckland intimacy counsellor, as more people express an openness to define sexual behaviours outside of traditional norms. Audio
Cardinal's claim highlights 'glaring issue of oversight' - abuse victim
One of New Zealand's most senior Catholic clergy has clashed with abuse victims over his claim bishops have no powers to remove predatory members of religious orders from their dioceses.
Kiwi firefighters in Tasmania: 'The situation is very volatile'
New Zealand firefighters are on high alert this evening as they battle blazes in Tasmania during one of the worst days of the fire season so far.
Political crisis in Venezuela: What's going on
Analysis - Venezuela is lurching dangerously into internal conflict and the US is backing opposition leader Juan Guaidó's claim to interim presidency of the troubled nation. Michael Hall looks at how…
Abuse expert: Catholic bishops risk losing all credibility
The Catholic Church has set up a new body to liaise with the Royal Commission's abuse inquiry, but its make-up has raised questions over its capacity to deliver truth.
Watch the skies: UFO sightings in NZ on the rise
A UFO organisation with links to the Chilean government is investigating eight reports of strange phenomena across New Zealand skies this year and says sightings are increasing. Video
Report sparks debate over stem cell collection and natural births
A veteran midwife has questioned a stem-cell harvesting scheme from umbilical cord blood, after a new report showing delayed cord clamping benefits babies' brains.
Call for probe into pesticide banned by France after illnesses
A health expert is warning the government would be negligent if it did not investigate the use of a pesticide banned by France after dozens of reported incidents of intoxication.