Jane Patterson

The Government still doesn't have answers as to how a Covid-positive man was able to escape an Auckland quarantine facility for more than 12 hours yesterday.

It's still not clear how many people he… Audio

Tensions have boiled over this week as MPs grappled with how Parliament operates while alert level restrictions remain in place.

National Party leader Judith Collins has taken umbrage with criticisms… Audio

The government's response to the collapse of Afghanistan has been described in Parliament as a stain on the work this country's done there over many years.

Ministers faced lengthy questioning today… Audio

Aotearoa's Covid-19 Delta cluster has had another jump today - 68 new cases, bringing the total to 277.

263 are in Auckland and 14 are in Wellington. The two new Wellington cases are household… Audio

"Regrettable" is how the Covid-19 Response Minister has described the slow response to a vaccine botch up, that may have resulted in five people possibly missing a Covid-19 vaccine.

More than 700… Audio

The Ministry of Health is copping flak for not being sufficiently transparent about a possible vaccine error in Auckland. Five people may have accidentally received a harmless injection of saline… Audio

The Finance Minister says the government has enough in the Covid-19 fund to cover a nationwide alert level 4 for at least month, before having to top up through borrowing.

Grant Robertson says the… Audio

Political editor Jane Patterson is at Parliament where the House meeting has been suspended for a week.

Select committees are continuing virtually.

RNZ political editor Jane Patterson has the… Video, Audio

The scale of the Delta outbreak has changed dramatically over the course of the weekend.

Dozens of new cases, thousands more close contacts and devastatingly-large locations of interest have emerged.

New Zealanders find out today if the Covid-19 lockdown is going to be extended.

A three-day alert level four is set to end tonight for everyone outside Auckland and Coromandel.

So far there are 21… Audio

New Zealand has woken to a new day in lockdown.

So how did the main centres take it?

RNZ's reporting team was out around the country. Audio

New Zealand is back in a nationwide lockdown for the first time since May 2020.

So how is the country taking it?

RNZ reporters took to the streets to find out. Audio

If a major disaster happened in New Zealand today, the Defence Force's ability to respond would be significantly compromised, mainly due to its security role at managed isolation hotels. Top officials… Audio

The Defence Minister admits there's a serious situation with the reduced ability of the defence force to respond to a major disaster. The Chief of Defence Force is also warning about the impact of the… Audio

The Government has set out its plan to reconnect New Zealand with the world in the Covid-19 pandemic. It plans to speed up the vaccination roll out and prioritise getting first doses into more people… Audio

Nearly 100 port workers are in isolation awaiting a Covid-19 test because another ship has been hit by the virus.

Our political editor Jane Patterson joins Lisa Owen from our Parliament office.

  Video, Audio

The National Party has come out of its annual conference with the same leader and president, but new problems.

A disgruntled former MP lashed out at the party on Sunday after losing a bid to unseat… Audio