Foreign companies are set to dominate New Zealand's internet gambling market as the government auctions online casino licences for the first time.

Only seven countries met WHO air quality standards last year, new data shows, as researchers warn the war on smog will only get harder after the US shut down its global monitoring efforts.

A major provider of school lunches has been placed into liquidation, in the latest setback to the beleaguered programme.

A blistering coroner’s report says a young man’s drowning may have been prevented if Wellington City Council had investigated previous deaths and accidents at the waterfront, kept accurate records and heeded experts’ advice.