Fresh calls are being made for safer cycleways in Auckland as the city’s roads struggle to meet the growing demand from bikers. Often cyclists are squeezed into narrow lanes alongside buses – and it’s enough to make some abandon their bikes altogether.  Struan Purdie reports.

A new survey shows the Waitemata area has the healthiest people in the country, according to the Ministry of Health. Yet greater Auckland also has some of our worst health problems so doctors warn there is no room for complacency. Natalie Cyra has more.

Train conductors selling paper tickets are becoming a thing of the past in Auckland with the introduction of the self-serve ticketing kiosk. However, faults with some machines are leaving commuters with no choice but to ride without a ticket. Struan Purdie reports.  

Plans for a new marine industries hub in Hobsonville could give Auckland’s boat-building industry a much-needed filip. But the project, proposed by Auckland Council, is facing difficulties, as Alistar Kata reports.

Driving through a red light may not seem the end of the world – but as authorities delay a decision on the use of red-light cameras, the Automobile Association is warning it can be just that. Jarred Williamson reports.  

The Auckland Racing Club has won permission to honour legendary racehorse Bonecrusher by burying him at Ellerslie Racecourse. Bonecrusher is fast approaching his thirty-first birthday, creating interest in where he will be laid to rest. Laura Milliken reports on a horse who came from humble beginnings to become a national icon.  

Artificial turf made from old tyres at Michaels Avenue Reserve is worrying a neighbouring school, despite a promise by authorities they will test its environmental effects over two years. Karen Affleck, the centre manager for Michael Park School Kindergarten, said the school was concerned about the impact of the crumb-rubber infill on the kindergarten and [...]

A Bangladesh union has extended a plea to New Zealanders to support those affected by a devastating garment factory collapse. The request was made to Christian World Services (CWS) by the Bangladesh National Garment Workers Federation in the wake of a factory collapse in April. The Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, killing [...]

Chinese language advocates say Mandarin is undervalued as a second language option in New Zealand schools. According to Nora Yao, director of the Confucius Institute, Prime Minister John Key may outspokenly support the uptake of Mandarin in schools, but practical support from the Government is “still pending”. The Confucius Institute is a non-profit lobby group [...]