Election aside, 1 NEWS' reporters have shed light on a number of important issues throughout the year. Here are some of the biggest.
Shocking schoolyard bullying
Sam Clarke's story on the bullying of a young girl at a Canterbury college saw an outpouring of anger, as well as heartening support for the victim.
The victim, and her mother, bravely shared their story in the hope there would be greater security in schools.
Sex abuse counsellor Tania Blomfield and researcher Natalie Thorburn say child sex trafficking is a growth industry in New Zealand.
New Zealand's child sex trade
Paul Hobbs' investigation into children as young as nine being forced to have sex with paying customers was genuinely shocking, and shed light on a part of New Zealand all of us wished didn't exist.
Many of them were being coerced into the sex trade by their families, or "boyfriends".
A wild night out in Suva left Josh Narube dead and a New Zealand diplomat leaving the country.
Fijian man dies in company of Immigration NZ staffer
The family of Josateki 'Josh' Narube were left searching for answers after the 26-year-old fell from a balcony on a Suva apartment block in 2015.
His companion that night was an Immigration NZ staffer who'd been seconded to the High Commission in Suva to work in Visa Services, and who flew back to NZ two days later.
Josh's friends told Andrea Vance his death was never properly investigated, and they want the diplomat to return to answer further questions.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry say they co-operated with the Fijian police, and the case was closed with no charges laid or any further requests for information.
The danger posed by a huge fault line that runs through NZ is being discussed at a summit.
Could NZ cope with a giant 'megathrust' earthquake
Sean Hogan's look at New Zealand's ability to cope with a gigantic 'megathrust' earthquake was one of the most widely shared stories on 1 NEWS NOW.
It came in the wake of a conference which saw scientists bring together local councils, iwi and civil defence orginisations together to share their knowledge.
Brian and Hannah Tamaki's church could now face a substantial tax bill as a result of the deregistration.
Destiny Church charities stripped from charities register
Investigations by Luke Appleby and Simon Plumb into some of Destiny Church's charities highlighted the Department of Internal Affairs' concerns over the persistent late filing of annual financial records.
Last month, DIA stipped two of them - Destiny International Trust and Te Hahi o Nga Matamua Holdings Limited from the Charities Register - a move that would come into force on December 20, a move that has since been delayed after the church appealed to the High Court.
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