Phil Pennington
WorkSafe pulls out of funding safety programmes
WorkSafe is pulling out of funding safety programmes to the tune of up to $15 million a year, skittling one in the high-risk forestry industry.
But ACC, which gives WorkSafe the money, says putting a… Audio
NZTA Waka Kotahi struggling with name change
Emails show the chief executive of the Transport Agency ordered the only line about a partnership with Maori removed from a press release about relegating the name 'Waka Kotahi' to second place. This… Audio
Police papers reveal 111 system outdated
Police papers say the country's 111 emergency call system is so outdated there is evidence it is causing deaths and injuries.
A host of glaring shortcomings in the 25-year-old system are revealed in… Audio
Education Ministry pauses projects to cut costs
Projects to build well over a hundred classrooms, two teaching blocks and two school gyms are in doubt.
The Education Ministry admits it has pushed pause as it embarks on a nationwide cost-cutting… Audio
Auckland cancer patient forced to head to Australia for scan
An Auckland cancer patient was forced to go to Australia for an urgent scan because the country's only producer of radioactive medical material had shut down for two weeks.
The man's whanau is asking… Audio
Defence officials promoting benefits of joining second tier of AUKUS, documents say
Documents show Defence officials have for months been promoting the benefits of joining the AUKUS military alliance.
Defence Minister Judith Collins meets her counterpart in Melbourne on Thursday… Audio
Fire safety checklists exposed as forgeries in Christchurch
Fire safety checklists at several buildings, including schools, in Christchurch have been exposed as forgeries.
The case shows up the risks the system of building warrants of fitness can be gamed… Audio
Government IT project halted due to being off track
A stop has been called to a $150 million government IT project because it has gone so badly off track.
The Department of Internal Affairs admitted to RNZ on Wednesday it has called a stop to the huge… Audio
US asks NZ for more money to fund military satellites
The weapons race in space is heating up and the bills are going up, including for us.
New Zealand is in a group the US has asked to stump up more money for military satellites.
Phil Pennington spoke… Audio
Police dole out fines to cellphone using drivers
Drivers are more likely to be fined for speeding, talking on their cellphones, or not wearing a seatbelt than ever before.
In last four years the number of infringement notices doled out by police… Audio
Private health pushing Auckland labs to the brink
Private healthcare is pushing medical lab services to the brink in Auckland.
The escalating pressure is complicating what was already a very difficult rescue job at one of the country's busiest labs… Audio
Government considers private companies to fund hospitals
The government's looking at using private companies fund, build and own our hospitals. Phil Pennington has been looking into it, including talking to the biggest player - a sharemarket listed company Audio
Wellington Hospital scores low for MRI, CT, ultrasound training
Wellington hospital's scorecard on the way it trains junior doctors to analyse MRI, CT and ultrasound scans has plummeted from 'A' to a basement level 'D'. Sounds bad? It is. Phil Pennington is… Audio
Waikato Expressway repairs mired in delays
Almost $50 million of repairs to a rutted expressway between Auckland and Hamilton are mired in delays and question marks.
The latest low point in the decade long saga of State Highway One outside… Audio
Project to cut logjams in courts easing pressure
The country's courts are jam packed with cases, and the country's prisons are jam packed with people being held on remand in custody.
Now a new project to cut those logjams has worked, but only in… Audio
Waka Kotahi exaggerating how green some highways are
Is it a case of the green washing of highways, or just bureaucratic slackness? Transport agency Waka Kotahi has been making exaggerated claims about how 'green' its road building is.
It has said four… Audio
Government keen to stop extra pay for being skilled in te reo
The new government wants to stop any more public servants getting extra pay for being skilled in te reo Māori.
More than a dozen ministries and departments pay bonuses of up to $3,500 a year… Audio
USAR vehicles in "crisis" says senior officer
Urban Search and Rescue have trucks so old they keep breaking down and are not safe.
This, from OIA papers that include an email from the day Cyclone Gabrielle hit in which a senior Urban Search and… Audio
Concern over fleet of search and rescue vehicles
The country's fleet of specialist search and rescue vehicles is so bad that the rescuers have begun rebelling.
New papers show Search and Rescue teams have warned Fire and Emergency for four years… Audio
Private contractor hired to fix run down courts
A Justice Ministry team in charge of fixing the country's run down courts has hired a private contractor on $2,000 a day.
An OIA shows the property team has been flooded with contractors and… Audio
