Phil Pennington
New government spy unit triples in size
New Zealand has a new super intelligence spy unit - MI.
It stands for Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Intelligence RNZ can reveal the government's super-ministry has quietly embedded… Audio
OIA reveals flaws in Police ICT system
On Monday Morning Report revealed a powerful new intelligence tool police are using to search data much faster and further, especially about firearms threats.
It's called SearchX. It's been badly… Audio
Police using AI to help assess risk posed by offenders
Police are using powerful new AI to help them assess the risk posed by offenders when officers are called out to emergencies.
RNZ can reveal the new intelligence tool SearchX can instantly display 15… Audio
Publicly funded surgery at private hospitals doubles since 2015
The two largest political parties will not say if they support private hospitals picking up even more publicly funded surgery.
Newly released data shows the number of public-funded inpatient… Audio
Court buildings crumbling around the country
Half the country's court buildings are crumbling, some are not safe, many are leaking.
The cost of fixing them has blown out past $1 billion, forcing a flagship project to be crimped to fit.
… Audio
Slave labour used to make some solar panels
Labour wants lots more solar panels on homes - but what about the slave labour used to make the panels that mainly come from China?
The party failed to get its anti-slave labour legislation through… Audio
Flood rescue teams pulled back due to dispute over pay
Floods keep rolling in, but the country's new flood rescue teams have not been there to meet them.
RNZ can reveal the teams pulled back in the face of incoming storms in May despite saving 32… Audio
Reliance on private health care increasing
A new report from the senior doctors' union says people's dependency on private healthcare, to provide what public services can't, is rapidly increasing.
Evidence of this includes a Bay of Plenty iwi… Audio
Police to buy new tasers but won't say how they'll be monitored
The police won't say how new tasers they're buying will be monitored for public safety.
The existing tasers used by police have built in cameras, but replacements don't and are instead meant to be… Audio
Confidential project with big US tech firm went nowhere
A confidential government project with a big US tech firm had grandiose ambitions to trigger "system-wide change" for making life easier for businesses - but went nowhere.
The so-called "lighthouse"… Audio
Hawke's Bay doctors mistrust how IT systems report scans
A newly released report shows mistrust running deep among Hawke's Bay doctors over how IT systems have been reporting back on vital medical scans.
The report from International Accreditation NZ… Audio
Drone use as military weapons rise on the rise
The rise of the use of drones as military weapons marks a major change in military tactics and is something we as a country will need to confront soon.
The US has just done a, quote, 'world first'… Audio
Amazon working on programme to 'transform' NZ health sector
American tech giant Amazon is working on a programme that health agency Te Whatu Ora says will 'transform' the health sector via cloud computing.
This follows two private presentations that… Audio
Agencies locking in hundreds of millions in contracts
Public agencies have been locking in hundreds of millions of dollars of contracts for big IT upgrades even as the government pledges to cut contractor spending.
The big winners so far are US tech… Audio
WorkSafe making cuts in face of multi-million-dollar deficit
WorkSafe, which is already under fire already for not doing enough to keep workers safe, is cutting back on what it does to save money.
Its chief executive met with senior staff last week to discuss… Audio
Family of labour workers killed speak up
The families of two labour hire workers killed in a road crash on their commute have spoken up about four years of hitting, not so much a brick wall as blank stares, in their quest for answers and… Audio
Precarious working conditions contributed to workers' deaths
A coroner has described how the precarious working conditions of two young provincial men at a leading labour-hire company ended in a double fatality.
Floyd Harris and his passenger Jake Ginders died… Audio
Five radiology departments moved to 'high-risk'
Five radiology departments at public hospitals have moved into high-risk territory in the last few months.
The latest independent assessment of medical scanning departments against international… Audio
Government expects problems over road user charges for EVs
Documents show the government expects problems ahead over road user charges on electric vehicles.
The documents talk about an "e-RUC" for EVs, about debt and growing numbers not paying.
But mostly… Audio
Report on unsafe radiology services at Hawke's Bay Hospital
A senior doctor blew the whistle for months on unsafe radiology services at Hawke's Bay Hospital.
Dr Bryan Wolf says it's criminal that despite his and RNZ's efforts to make this public, it's taken… Audio