Anneke Smith

Covid-19 has complicated our court system, caused more stress for victims of crime, and failed the dictum that everyone has a right to a speedy trial.   Audio

Defence lawyers want an urgent review of all Covid-19 prosecutions because they are adding to a massive backlog of cases in the District Court.

It says the police risk overwhelming an… Audio

Significant changes are afoot in the country's largest and busiest court as a special group finalises its recommendations to make the justice system more efficient.

The District Court all but shut… Audio

Defendants are facing long and stressful waits for jury trials due to a huge court backlog caused by Covid-19.

The Chief Justice was forced to suspend jury trials in March as the country braced… Audio

A woman has appeared in court charged in connection with the fatal shooting of Constable Matthew Hunt in West Auckland.

The 28-year-old was killed and another officer shot in the leg during a routine… Audio

Auckland is on the cusp of an emergency water crisis as it stares down the barrel of the region's worst drought in 25 years with reservoirs at just 43 percent. The Auckland Council is scrambling to… Video, Audio

A woman applying for an urgent protection order during lockdown was told a police report she asked for was being treated as an Official Information Act request.

The woman - who RNZ is calling Trish -… Audio

A pair who tortured and murdered a teenager in South Auckland last year will both spend at least 19 years in prison after being sentenced to life today.

Toko Shane Winter - also known as Ashley… Audio

In Auckland so many men are flocking to barbers you could be excused for thinking you were at Masterton's Golden Shears competition.

Reporter Anneke Smith is outside The Barbers Room on Dominion Rd… Audio

It's the first morning of Alert Level 2 after nearly seven weeks of strict lockdown protocols in New Zealand.

This means most people can go back to work with almost all businesses except for bars… Audio

Auckland Council will impose mandatory water restrictions for the first time in more than 25 years as the city faces its worst drought in history.

The past four months have been the driest on record… Audio

Mt Roskill residents living near a house where a woman was killed this morning say they woke up to a loud bang.

The police were called to an address on May Road just after half-past-seven where they… Audio

The number of recovered Covid-19 cases is continuing to rise, overshadowing the number of active cases in many regions around the country.

The Auckland District Health Board is reporting there are… Audio

While incidents of family violence appear to be continuing at the same level as pre-Covid 19 lockdown, the number of victims seeking help has plummeted.

Ministry of Justice data obtained by RNZ… Audio

As people settle into a new way of life in their Covid-19 bubble it's clear not everyone is following the rules.

Under lockdown the government's message is clear - stay at home and if you leave your… Audio

New Zealand is 12 hours into the Covid-19 lockdown, and life in New Zealand's commercial centres could easily be described as nearly dead. 

Auckland reporter Anneke Smith speaks to Mani Dunlop from a… Audio

It's the first morning of New Zealand's four week lockdown in which our number one job is to stay at home to stop the spread of Covid-19.

If the message has got through there should be no one on the… Audio