Checkpoint

It's been a wet and wild 24 hours for the top of the country, with some areas seeing more than 200 millimetres of rain. Whangārei District Council and the Far North District Council have each declared states of emergency. The deluge has closed roads, including the two routes that connect the tip of the Far North to the rest of the motu. Locals are now bracing for another night of rough weather, wi...

This year marks a quarter century since The Lord of the Rings first hit screens - and fans are still journeying to Middle Earth. Tour operators say they've had a bumper summer and interest in Lord of the Rings experiences - and seeing film locations - is actually growing. Katie Todd reports.

The NZ College of Midwives have won its class action against the crown over fair and reasonable pay. A court decision has found the way the Crown paid its lead maternity carers unlawfully discriminated on the basis of sex and the crown failed to ensure self-employed midwives got fair and reasonable pay. The case was heard in the High Court in 2024. College of midwives CEO Alison Eddy spoke to Lisa...

A literal life saver for those admitted there, but a North Canterbury eating disorder residential facility can't attract government funding, leading to concerns about who can access care. Recovered Living NZ offers a different experience from the public system - catering for only nine people at a time - patients live in and stay for months at a time. But it comes at a cost of just over $1000 a nig...

There's a growing divide is emerging in junior sport. As some clubs experiment with ways to reduce barriers for young players, others say rising costs are forcing difficult decisions about fees just to keep the lights on. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Waikato maths whizz is waiting on some final calculations to see if he's taken out his fifth world title in a row. The marathon 48-hour global online maths contest kicked off yesterday. The games see rangatahi compete in live 60 second rounds going head-to-head against other students around the world. Hamilton year nine student Woojin Kim had a lot to play for, after winning four consecutive tit...

United State correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about tech giants dealing with a major legal blow in a landmark social media addiction trial. A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for designing their social media platforms in a way that can be intentionally addictive and harmful to young people. Each company has been ordered to pay millions in damages, and the finding could a...

States of Emergency have been declared in Whangarei and the Far North with storm conditions expected get worse overnight. Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangarei is under a red weather warning until 4am tomorrow. 25 schools closed throughout the region, affecting nearly 4000 students. State Highway 1 is also closed at four different locations around Northland. Civil Defence Co-or...

UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the UK taking matters into its own hands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as transgender women and girls involved in UK Girl-guiding groups have been told they have until September to leave.

A Dunedin city councillor has resorted to reading a novel to defend himself at what he's likened to a public show trial. First-term representative Benedict Ong was censured by his colleagues at a meeting today for criticising a council staff member, in an email sent last month to the chief executive and local journalists. Tess Brunton reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

It is the final day of the double header series between New Zealand and South Africa. The Black Caps and White Ferns play the last of five T20's against their Protea counterparts today. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Teachers working from home, carpooling and cancelling away trips are just some of things rural schools are having to do to manage rising fuel costs. Rural schools are already finding it harder to get relievers, some of whom have to travel long distances to get to work, with private vehicles the only transport options. Families are feeling the squeeze too getting students to and from school bus sto...

The local government minister says he's called Wellington's mayor for a please explain over huge water bills for residents, which are forecast to hit almost seven grand a year by the end of the decade. One of the region's mayors says that figure is horrendous and unaffordable, and she's worried it will drive people out of the region. Wellington's new water entity, Tiaki Wai, is a council-controlle...

More than four million New Zealanders are missing out on modern medicines languishing on what is effectively Pharmac's drug wish list, according to a new report commissioned by Medicines New Zealand; a group representing the pharmaceutical industry. It says 137 modern medicines that Pharmac would buy if it could afford to have spent an average of six and half years on the Options for Investment li...

After an estimated one million hours of construction labour, Te Rua - Archives NZ's new Wellington building - is now open. At a cost of $290 million it's described as one of the world's most technologically advanced archive-protection facilities. Delivered on budget and on time, the Internal Affairs Minister says it's a win for public-private partnerships. But where the archive's entire collection...

Utes and SUV's, some of the country's top selling new vehicles, are in the spotlight due to their capacity to guzzle fuel. With prices rising at the pump, there's concern about diesel stock, which largely keeps industry moving, including freight and farming. It's prompted calls for more regulation to discourage people buying supersized vehicles. Professor Alistair Woodward from the University of A...

Councils in regions regularly threatened by floods have invested in an innovative, locally-made tool to help protect them and are encouraging others to do the same. They say the ARK flood barrier - a temporary, reusable dam - can be rolled out quickly in the midst of a disaster, an attractive alternative to heaving heavy sacks of sand. The Tauranga manufacturers say it's got potential to save home...

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is rocking the boat. The Ineos Group owner wants to take back the almost half a billion dollar racing yacht built by his company for the 2024 America's Cup. It follows a split between Ratcliffe and Sir Ben Ainslie who's team - Athena Racing - intends to take the boat to the next competition. Now Ratcliffe is claiming the boat built for the last challenge belongs to him. Sports ed...

The coalition has ditched a contentious aspect of fisheries legislation after a backlash from recreational fishers. Several political parties are claiming credit for throwing back the controverisal law change that would have removed commerical minimum size limits for various species, including snapper. Fisheries Minister Shane Jones spoke to Lisa Owen.

US President Donald Trump says talks to bring an end to the US-Israeli war with Iran are underway. The comments come amid reports that the US is poised to send thousands more troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran has told the United Nations it will let "non-hostile" ships pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Amercias correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen.

People who aren't eligible for the governments fuel relief package such as beneficiaries or those living in rural communities and with no children have said it's "a real kick in the guts". Yesterday, the government announced that more than 140,000 working families with children will get an extra $50 a week to help counter rising fuel prices. The government says the payment will target those strugg...

Northlanders are urged to take the red heavy rain warning seriously and be ready to go if they have to. The warning is in place for the eastern area from Doubtless Bay down to Whangarei until 4am Friday. An orange heavy rain warning and strong wind watch remain in place for the rest of the region, with the worst expected to hit from Thursday afternoon. Northland Civil Defence spokesperson Zach Woo...

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about Australia clinching a new free trade deal with the European Union after decades of negotiations.

News from the business sector, including a market report.