Checkpoint

Ever thought about how irresistible junk food is? New research from Auckland University has found that Ultra Processed food or UPF is designed and marketed to achieve exactly those emotional and biological reaction. So, it raises the question; is over consumption of junk food just about personal choice or is big food taking advantage of how people think feel and behave? University of Auckland's Dr...

United Kingdom correspondent Diane To spoke to Lisa Owen about the Labour Party's election walloping.

Nurses at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital say they're dealing with burnout and anxiety because of their working conditions, including chronic under-staffing, dilapidated buildings and rat infestations.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A World Cup-winning Black Fern has been forced from the field after succumbing to a career-ending neck injury. Loosehead prop Awhina Tangen-Wainohu has retired from international rugby with 10 caps to her name, saying she is grateful her body is still in one piece. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

The coalition government is promising to "repurpose" the millions of tax payer dollars being spent on the fees-free policy for tertiary students. Winston Peters' confirmed the scheme, which has been through a few versions, will be scrapped. It was introduced in 2018, under Jacinda Ardern's government. Back then, students were eligible for their first year of study free and $194 million was paid in...

A landmark case has found that a veterans' brain cancer must be treated as service-related because of exposure to potentially carcinogenic burn pits on his deployment in Somalia. Open burn pits were used in many conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan, where there wasn't infrastructure to deal with the large amounts of waste created by military operations. In the US, a long list of conditions are...

The government has outlined who will get priority access to fuel if New Zealand should ever be forced to ration. It said Aotearoa continues to have sufficient fuel supply and it's highly unlikely it would need to prioritise supply. But phase four would be activated in case of a severe and prolonged disruption of fuel supply. David Birkett from Federated Farmers, Arable group chairperson and nation...

National and ACT are downplaying a significant Budget leak from their coalition partner New Zealand First, as coalition tensions continue to bubble to the surface.

People might remember as a kid collecting glass fizzy bottles to return to the dairy for a bit of pocket money. Well, New Zealand First's keen to bring back a nationwide container scheme, to reduce litter and council costs. One of its MPs has put a bill into the biscuit tin, where it could be randomly drawn and head down the path to becoming law. Zero Waste Network said about four million drink co...

All kiwi sides, apart from Moana Pasifika, remain in the hunt, while the defending champions appear to be peaking at the perfect time. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A YouTube channel is providing some income cream for a fourth generation waikato dairy farmer filming life on the land. Andrew Macky, who runs a 98 hectare family farm at Paterangi with 320 jersey cows, started filming and broadcasting his day to day in 2020. Now, more than 35,000 people subscribe to "The Once A Day Farmer." Waikato dairy farmer Andrew Macky spoke to Lisa Owen.

Middle East correspondent Lou Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about how President Donald Trump described Iran's response to the latest proposal by the United States to end the war as "totally unacceptable." She also spoke about how dozens of people were reportedly killed over the weekend in Lebanon and how Gaza flotilla activists were deported by Israel.

New Zealand officials are working on options to repatriate a New Zealander who's been onboard a cruise ship hit with the hantavirus. Passengers from the MV Hondius have been disembarking under complex evacuation protocols on the isalnd of Tenerife inn Sapin Caary islands. 149 passengers and crew will taken off the ship in small boats and flown home. The New Zealander however will be flown to Austr...

Checkpoint producer Johnny Sutherland spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about Neville Sandiford, a 102-year-old who's been named the oldest competitive male player.

United Kingdom correspondent Diane To spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about how local elections are looking in the UK, which is seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party government. She also spoke about how there's a race to trace all of the people who were on the cruise with the hantavirus outbreak and how the United Kingdom is celebrating Sir David Attenborough's 100th...

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The scrap for playoff spots is well and truly on in Super Rugby Pacific. The top four is occupied by kiwi sides with a diet of derbies on the menu in the coming month. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

A new national fuel company has been given the go-ahead by the Commerce Commission. The merger of Gull and NPD would combine 240 sites across the country, but they would maintain their brands according to the proposal. The AA said the new entity will have greater buying power, which may ultimately lead to cheaper prices at the pump. AA's fuel spokesperson Terry Collins' spoke to Melissa Chan-Green...

TVNZ's Political Editor Maiki Sherman has resigned from the state broadcaster, citing unprecedented scrutiny and enormous pressure on her over the past week. It follows a barrage of criticism after revelations she directed a homophobic slur at another journalist during late-night drinks in the Finance Minister's office a year ago. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Melissa Chan-Green...

New Zealand universities have been caught up in a global hack of an online learning platform, leaving the personal details of students potentially exposed. The Canvas system is accessed online and used for assignments, to get grades and communicate with tutors. Impacted Universities include the University of Auckland, AUT and the Victoria University of Wellington. Aidan Donoghue is President of th...

Dozens of Taranaki teenagers have jumped behind the controls of heavy equipment at an event designed to encourage young women to consider trades careers. Organisers of the Women in Trades showcase say women are valued employees, but many are missing out on six-figure salaries by not considering a life on the tools. It might not be as intimidating as some think, with one young potential recruit com...

Testing and treating children for a stomach infection in childhood is key to preventing a rise in stomach cancer diagnoses in adults, according to a new report. By 2045, it's expected 725 people will be diagnosed each year, that's a nearly 50 percent increase on the numbers now. Maori and Pacific people are up to six times more likely to get the cancer. But the study published in the New Zealand M...

Police have beefed up the number of officers out on the beat in Nelson's CBD over weekends due to bad behaviour by rowdy teens. Senior cops say alcohol is fuelling the trouble and they worry it will lead to violence. The problem has coincided with the closure of a Nelson charitable trust that helped kids stay on track. Samantha Gee reports.

Police are looking to design a bespoke head cushion with a local manufacturer after a man who was restrained in a chair inside police cells died. An Auckland Coroner has heard how Jaye Taueli forcefully thrashed his head back and forth repeatedly while tied down in the chair. He lost consciousness, and died in hospital from a ruptured malformed vessel in his brain, a day after his arrest. Reporter...