National

Simeon Brown told nurses' union delegates at a Wellington conference that strike action was hurting patients.

The trial of a former Christchurch police officer accused of stealing money has been abandoned.

Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere has defended controversial comments made by MP Tākuta Ferris, saying he agrees with the "substance" of his statements.

Food prices are rising much faster than wages, putting more pressure on household budgets and creating a squeeze that's feeling worse for some than the global financial crisis, one economist says.

The government is promising changes to the Commerce Act it says will prevent "creeping acquisitions and predatory pricing".