Current Affairs

A multi-million dollar budget boost for Pharmac will only keep the lights on, doctors and patient advocates warn.

Support for the National Party and its coalition partners has dropped in the latest 1News Verian poll.

Families are cutting back on essentials and withdrawing their KiwiSaver funds as they struggle with the rising cost of living, a budgeting service says.

Armed robberies in daylight have been on the rise and the public is advised to leave the job to the police.

The cancer-stricken man said he and his "angel", who had dementia, had "lived too long".

The ministers responsible for green-lighting major projects need to be open about potential conflicts of interest, says Transparency International. Audio

Education minister Erica Stanford wants "every child to be inspired and engaged in their learning".

Any school not putting in place the new ban on phones will face a visit from the Education Review Office, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.

It is set to rise to a three-year high as wage growth eases in a slowing economy.

"I was stunned at the state of things," a Canterbury man who has been bumped down the list says.

Advocacy groups say the train service is "developing well", but the transport minister says it's one of NZ's most heavily subsidised public transport services.

The government has announced what it says is the largest Pharmac budget in its history.

Canterbury had the highest number of reported active cases with 399, followed by Capital and Coast with 217.

The tube was placed in his oesophagus instead of his trachea - an error that wasn't picked up for 15 minutes.

Kaea Conan Matua was killed on 8 March.