Checkpoint

New Zealand Football has withdrawn support for FIFA president Gianni Infantino's bid for re-election. Infantino courted controversy with the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme, which proposed carving off the commercial rights to the World Cup and selling 20 percent to private investors. New Zealand Football said FIFA's actions to develop the scheme had contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased...

Business people from across the South Island have met in Christchurch for the first South Island election conference to hear from politicians about their plans for the Mainland. They covered a range of topics from transport, productivity, infrastructure and immigration, with National announcing its election plan for the South Island. But the head of the Southland Chamber of Commerce said she still...

Friday was the first time the accusation was ever been put to him under oath, Phillip Polkinghorne told the Coronial inquest that he did not kill his wife. The former eye doctor has faced an intense cross-examination. He has admitted lying many times, but maintains that does not mean he is responsible for Hanna's death. Jessica Hopkins reports.

An emergency department doctor working in Palmerston North said he believes some decisions are being made to prioritise Government discharge targets over ideal healthcare. Government targets set a goal for hospitals to admit and discharge 95 percent of patients within six hours. The trend has been slowly increasing toward that, with 74.2 percent in December. Health NZ Group Director of Operations...

Netball New Zealand said it's a priority to have a domestic competition in 2027 and beyond. Speaking publicly for the first time since officially becoming CEO, Jennah Wootten said today that the organisation is looking at a number of options but could not guarantee anything would be ready by next season. The organisation is facing losses of up to $6 million for the financial year. Watching the dev...

People working at Sylvia Park Shopping Centre are feeling shaken after a man carrying a stolen air rifle was fatally shot by police as he approached the mall yesterday. RNZ understands the man is 33 year old Hapai Ropata Clyde Otene and he was on community detention and supervision. A post on Facebook said he's a father of five. Amy Williams reports.

Richie Mo'unga's call-up to South Africa is set to put the much-debated All Black eligibility rules under review. Mo'unga wasn't able to tour initially due to these rules, which meant he had to play rugby in Aotearoa before getting the green light for the black jersey. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

It's a case of who blinks first in the housing market. Buyers have confidence to know they can hold out. Sellers are holding on to hope they will get 2021 prices according to Real estate.co.nz research. But for some who are nearing retirement, the stakes are higher and a retirement health advisor said it's causing stress for many of the older people she deals with. Hannah McQueen at Age Brightly s...

A Palmerston North Emergency Department doctor has put out a plea for help to Health New Zealand after an extraordinarily busy day. Patients contacted Checkpoint to say they had been waiting 17 hours, but when Checkpoint spoke to Doctor Dusty Bratton he said others had been waiting even longer than that. Bratton spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Australia's housing crisis continues to be an issue dominating politics across the tasman -- as the major parties there attempt to gain the political high ground, and a baby chimp is being raised by humans at an Australian zoo.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Tall Blacks are headed back to the safe haven of the Philippines for this month's World Cup qualifiers due to conflict in the Middle East. With games against Iran and Syria in a fortnight, Basketball New Zealand and governing body FIBA had no choice but to find an alternative host for New Zealand's away games. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke with Melissa Chan-Green.

Like New Zealand, cost of living has been top of mind for voters, with fuel costs and climbing utility bills driving a lot of debate. Visitors from around the region remain a key part of the economy. Figures from May show arrivals from New Zealand made up nearly two-thirds of visitors. RNZ Pacific reporter Tiana Haxton is in Rarotonga to cover the election and spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

The National party - having faced two leadership challenges in four months - now has just three months to convince voters it deserves a second term in government. The Prime Minister and his senior ministers went back to work today, after an hours long urgent caucus meeting at Parliament yesterday that ended with Christopher Luxon still in the top job. But despite protestations of nothing to see he...

Emergency Departments already facing their busiest time of the year have been under even more pressure than usual. This week, Wellington ED recorded its busiest day in almost a year, and North Shore Hospital was too full to take some patients, diverting ambulances to Whangarei Hospital. Christchurch has been warning they are at 'critical overload'. Ongoing challenges like this have led nurse Kezia...

Checkpoint reporter Bella Craig spoke to Melissa Chan Green from outside Sylvia Park following reports of multiple gunshots at the mall.

Oral nicotine pouches don't produce any smoke or odour - instead they're placed between the gum and upper lip. Researchers say young people are being targeted through social media. A survey of 16 to 25 year olds found they were aware of them and perceived them to be low risk because of claims such as 'tobacco free' and flavours like bubblegum and cola vanilla. And while the products can't be bough...

Richie Mo'unga is en route to Africa. The mercurial Mo'unga has been called into the All Blacks squad following a tour ending injury to midfielder Billy Proctor. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

If you live anywhere between Oamaru and Dunedin you no longer have an excuse to mistakenly take off with someone else's pen. That's because a group of 15 year-olds have been selling their theft-proof invention at markets all around there - and they want to expand. Their business sells pens with customisable beads at one end to spell out your name, so there's no confusing who it belongs to - which...

More details on Trump's elaborate plane switch involving a catering truck and decoy plane, and the latest on a plan by ICE to give its agents electric shock gloves. US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke with Melissa Chan-Green.

Checkpoint visited five shops and found the banned pipes in three of them, some costing under $10. This comes a month after a briefing paper warnted the Health Minister they were readily available through some retailers. Penalties for anyone selling them range from three months jail to a $5000 fine. But drug addiction services are concerned Police aren't doing enough to enforce the law. Melissa Ch...

There were reports of multiple gunshots at the mall in Mt Wellington and shoppers and staff were locked inside stores as armed police responded. Checkpoint reporter Bella Craig spoke with Melissa Chan-Green from Sylvia Park.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about how the British summer is continuing to cause headaches, with extreme heat, drought and more wildfires. She also spoke about how the UK Government's prisoner early release scheme could be about to hit another roadblock and how Heathrow is no longer Europe's busiest airport.

News from the business sector, including a market report.