Ruth Hill

Red tape, inflated land prices, rock-bottom interest rates, migration and speculation are fuelling New Zealand's runaway property market.

The 16th annual Demographia International Housing… Video, Audio

It's unusual to find a cat that's a class pet, but it seems felines don't need to come to school to make their presence felt. New research from Otago University published in the New Zealand Medical… Audio

New research shows one in four classrooms have high enough levels of cat allergen to trigger respiratory symptoms in children with an allergy. As part of the He Kura Asthma Study, researchers vacuumed… Audio

Fifty-five Hawke's Bay patients who were exposed to unsterilised medical equipment will have to wait until August to be certain they haven't been infected with blood-borne viruses like hepatitis B… Audio

Fox Glacier remains in the dark ages after this week's massive storm with a communications blackout. The township has been without phone, mobile or internet connection since the Waiho Bridge was… Audio

The Government says we have to trust its spy agency's decision to reject a joint deal between Spark and the telco giant Huawei. It's citing serious security concerns, which has prompted a furious… Audio

More and more women are playing rugby - about 25,000 of them at the last count. But the big challenge ahead of the next Women's Rugby World Cup will be getting them to watch it. At a vote in Dublin on… Audio

Down-at-heel suburbs of eastern Porirua are set to get a $1.5 billion face-lift from the Government with the region's first Kiwibuild project and the revamp of thousands of state houses. Video, Audio

Families and disability advocates are frustrated at the announcement of yet another review into the flawed Funded Family Care system, saying the government should just get on and fix it. Audio

Landlords are likely to be hit with some kind of capital gains tax in future - but don't expect house prices to drop by much. The interim report from the Government's Tax Working Group - released… Audio

Just seven months after a Cambridge rest home was ordered to refund $10,000 for its poor care of a 92-year-old woman a new audit has revealed it's still not fixed the problems. Robert Love, who took… Audio

A fire at a metal factory in Petone is causing traffic issues in the Capital. Motorists are being advised to avoid Seaview Road while firefighters battle the blaze. No-one has been reported injured… Audio

As of yesterday Sunday July 1, lawyers are now subject to anti-money laundering legislation, which will require them to dob in clients making suspicious transactions. But at least one expert is… Audio

One of seven people killed in a horrific head-on smash near the Taranaki town of Waverly on Wednesday had just recovered from another serious crash a year ago. Several of the local volunteer fire… Audio

So-called lifestyle blocks could pose a greater threat to productive land than suburban sprawl. A report from the Ministry for the Environment called Our Land 2018, shows more than 35 percent of… Audio