Our favourite investigations of 2024 so far

What’s going on with New Zealand’s domestic aviation market?

If you’ve had to book a domestic flight lately, you may have been surprised what it cost. Investigative writer Vanessa Pratley produced a three-part series on domestic flights in Aotearoa, starting with analysing how much prices have jumped over the years and why. She looked into why the situation is so much better in Australia, why it’s so bad in our regions and what we think needs to happen so New Zealanders can afford to make the trips they need to.

Why is there so much plastic on our fruit and veg when single-use plastic bags were banned?

Our survey looked at how much plastic the three big supermarkets have in their produce departments. We were alarmed how the plastic bag ban hasn’t made supermarkets examine their own plastic use. Woolworths even admitted the plastic in its produce section has likely increased.

Why are people breaking the rules to get their hands on melatonin?

Melatonin is a prescription-only medicine in New Zealand, but we’d heard people were getting it delivered from overseas. Senior investigative writer Chris Schulz looked into why people are so keen to get their hands on melatonin and how they’re going about it.

We’re putting pressure on retirement village operators

There are over 450 retirement villages in New Zealand, but despite the glossy advertising, we often hear of residents paying to repair appliances they don’t even own and continuing to pay fees long after they’ve moved out. The Retirement Villages Act is finally being reviewed and we’ve made it known that we want to see change. Check out our article on the 10 fixes we’ve called for.

Supermarket specials should be for everyone

To use the new Woolworths Everyday Rewards loyalty card, you need an email address and a phone number. That means people are paying more for their groceries because they don’t have access to or can’t use technology. We’ve called on Woolworths to do better – the data collection that goes on with loyalty cards isn’t more important that ensuring elderly and disabled people have access to the same prices as everyone else.

How using POLi to pay breaches your banking security

You’ve probably seen POLi resented as a payment option. It’s offered by Air New Zealand, Jetstar, Bunnings and even government agency Waka Kotahi. Investigative writer Ruairi O’Shea uncovered how we could actually be breaching banks’ terms and conditions if we use it and why that leaves us vulnerable if we’re a victim of fraud.