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Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and her mother were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" involving paparazzi photographers after they attended an awards ceremony in New York, a representative for the prince says.

The incident involved half a dozen cars with blacked out windows, driving dangerously and putting the lives of the couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, in danger, according to their representative.

"Last night, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi," the couple's representative said in a statement.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD (New York Police Department) officers."

The couple were shaken by the incident but otherwise unharmed.

The prince has long spoken out about his anger about press intrusion which he blames for the death of his mother Princess Diana, who was killed when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi in Paris in 1997.

The couple's representative said the chase on Tuesday, after they left the Ziegfeld Ballroom in midtown Manhattan, could also have been fatal and involved paparazzi driving on the sidewalk, running red lights, and driving while taking pictures.

Those involved in the chase were confronted by police officers multiple times, according to the statement.

The New York Police Department said it had assisted the private security team protecting the couple.

"There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries or arrests in regard," the NYPD said.

The Washington Post quoted taxi driver Sukhcharn Singh, who said he drove the group and a security guard for about 10 minutes before returning to the police station he had picked them up from at the security guard's request.

"I don't think I would call it a chase," Singh was quoted as saying, adding that two vehicles had followed them and come next to the car, taking pictures and filming.

"I never felt like I was in danger. It wasn't like a car chase in a movie. They (the couple) were quiet and seemed scared but it's New York - it's safe."

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he had received a briefing that two NYPD officers could have been injured in the incident.

"I don't think there's many of us who don't recall how, how his mum died," Adams told reporters.

"And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well."

He said he would be given an in-depth briefing later but that he found it hard to believe there would have been a two-hour high speed chase.

"If it's 10 minutes, a 10-minute chase is extremely dangerous in New York City," Adams said.

The Ms Foundation for Women, the organisers of the awards ceremony where Meghan was honoured for her work, had no immediate comment.

Pictures that have since appeared on social media show Harry, Meghan and her mother sitting in the back of a New York taxi which their representative said showed "a small glimpse at the defence and decoys required to end the harassment".

The couple, who live in California with their two young children, had been staying at a private residence but decided against returning there as they did not wish to compromise their host's safety, according to their statement.

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety," the statement said.

"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."

Harry and Meghan stepped down from their royal roles in 2020 and moved to the United States partly because of what they described as intense media harassment.

© RAW 2023

The New Zealand government will review safety regulations for high density accommodation in the wake of the Loafers Lodge fire as police begin their forensic examination of the hostel.

The death toll remains at six following the blaze at the Wellington building in the early hours of Tuesday.

Acting Wellington District Commander Dion Bennett said his "gut feeling" was that number would rise as police began to survey the charred building.

Police are treating the fire as an act of arson and have a number of people of interest they would to interview as part of their homicide investigation.

Those staying at the hostel, which housed low-income Kiwis and a mix of short- and long-term tenants - including some 501 deportees and others under corrections orders - have told local media of their fears for fellow residents.

On Thursday, police will begin a thorough review of the building, searching for bodies, identifying them and transporting them out.

Mr Bennett said damage was extensive, with debris as high as one metre in places.

Police will also continue to reconcile lists of people believed to be at the hostel by accounting for their whereabouts.

There are "less than 20" outstanding people, Mr Bennett said on Wednesday, including the six bodies originally confirmed by Fire and Emergency NZ.

There were just over 100 people in the 92-bed facility, described on its website as "Wellington's most convenient and affordable accommodation option".

The blaze has triggered outrage and despair among Wellingtonians, particularly owing to the vulnerable nature of those affected.

Many who survived lost all of their possessions and many have been rendered homeless.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said he would task Housing Minister Megan Woods with examining building regulations issues.

"I've already asked officials to give me advice in terms of what we need to do to ensure that buildings are safe for New Zealanders," Dr Woods said.

The building's director Greg Mein told reporters he was distraught at the fire, while defending the structure's maintenance.

"Myself, the management, the family etc of the owner, everyone is just gutted by this. It's just done us in completely," he said.

Mr Main said monthly inspections and a recent annual building warrant of fitness showed "all the services are up to standard and ... everything was a-okay".

© AAP 2023

A 24-hour ban on transporting discharged patients home from hospital will be in place across NSW as paramedics and patient transfer officers join forces to demand an end to wage caps.

Health Services Union NSW secretary Gerard Hayes said workers were reluctantly going ahead with the industrial action, which would begin at 6am on Thursday, in light of crumbling morale and stalled wage negotiations.

"They're making the decision to leave (the state) because they can't afford to live here and they see no wage increase on the horizon," he said earlier in the week.

Mr Hayes said he was mindful the action would leave at least 1000 patients who would have been discharged in a hospital system already under pressure, but exclusions would apply for end-of-life patients and those on dialysis.

Labor was swept to power in March on the promise of abolishing the public sector wages cap and increased pay for frontline workers.

Premier Chris Minns said he was confident of the progress made in wage negotiations with unions across NSW, but it would take time to sort through.

"We believe that we're in the process of developing an offer to representatives of public sector workers in NSW," he said.

But Mr Hayes said he had seen no meaningful movement on wages since Labor was elected.

Opposition health spokesman Matt Kean said he didn't support the strike action but health workers were "right to be angry at being lied to".

"Chris Minns promised to scrap the public sector wage cap, but can't tell anyone what wage increases the unions are demanding, what it will cost the budget, how it'll be paid for or when the cap will be scrapped," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

© AAP 2023