Checkpoint

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.

Southern Steel Coach Wendy Frew is welcoming news of a bid from a private investor in a domestic netball league, but said decisions would have to come soon to stop players and other staff from going overseas. It's a big task then that greets the Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennah Wootten on her first day in the job. RNZ has revealed the national body is in talks with high-profile couple Al...

It's been 40 years since Alan Hall was wrongly convicted of Arthur Easton's murder and today two former police officers have been found not guilty of obstructing the course of justice. The men, whose names are suppressed, have been on trial in the High Court at Auckland charged with willfully attempting to obstruct, prevent, pervert or defeat the course of justice. Justice Ian Gault delivered the...

The brevity of the speech was sign itself that the Prime Minister was not interested in going into details. 75 seconds. There was no mention then of the decision he would make this afternoon about Chris Penk's portfolios. But Chris Penk was notably absent from the senior MPs who flanked Christopher Luxon. A group which included those who had been reluctant to say anything about their confidence in...

'Cigfluencer' culture is taking social media by storm and the number of celebrities and influencers posting while smoking has health experts concerned. While cigarettes are making their comeback on screen, with over half of box office films featuring tobacco in 2024, smoking numbers remain low. However, decreases have recently come to a grinding halt, with the smoking rate for 18-24 year olds rema...

When Christopher Luxon first survived a vote of confidence among National MPs in April, Act leader David Seymour said at the time he was pleased to see the party stable and "drawing a line under any trouble they may have had." Fast forward 4 months, and the Prime Minister's leadership is being tested again. He's survived another vote of confidence. Just like the last one, National's coalition part...

There's no rest for some of our Commonwealth Games medallists with the swimmers back competing in the pool this week. A 15-strong New Zealand team is preparing to take on some of the world's best at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in California, which is the first time the competition has been held in eight years. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Netball New Zealand's new chief executive Jennah Wootten will have hit the ground running on her first official day in the job today. RNZ revealed that Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray are behind a bid to establish a new franchise netball league for 2028. Details of the bid from the couple behind the A-League Club Auckland FC are yet to be publicly revealed. In the meantime, players, coaches and offi...

Middle East correspondent Madeline Croad spoke to Melissa Chan Green about how in Syria, a court has sentenced former leader Bashar al-Assad to death. She also spoke about how there has been several attacks at sea in the region and how Lebanon has become the first Middle Eastern country to get rid of the death penalty.

'People are unwell, people are unravelling,' those are the words of a Wellington community leader who is among those describing drug use, threats and psychotic breakdowns on the suburban streets of Newtown. Some are also asking whether harmful synthetic cannabis is to blame. Wellington Issues reporter Ellen O'Dwyer has more.

He's not the first leader to survive a leadership challenge but Christopher Luxon is now part of a much smaller club of leaders who have stared down two votes of confidence. 'Our caucus is united.' That was the message from the Prime Minister following a three and a half hour caucus meeting. The announcement afterwards was more planned and coordinated than the 24 hours that had preceded it. Deputy...

In Australia, the country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is toughing out a storm over comments he made about a gift from his Japanese counterpart. Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Philip Polkinghorne has been accused of pretending to do some of the things he said he did, on the morning he found his wife dead. Dr Polkinghorne was acquitted of murdering his wife, Pauline Hanna, and is a witness at the Coronial Inquest into her death, which began last week.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The New Zealand Breakers have unveiled their rebrand as pre-season training tipped off on Auckland's North Shore. Coach Gordon Herbert was in the gym for the first time seeing who he'll be working with and how he can put the puzzle together for NBL season. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

In Southland, 'The Saw Club' is keen to attract new members through an event called 'Last Warrior Standing'. It's competitive arm wrestling. Mel Shepherd is the Secretary and Treasurer of the Southland Arm Wrestling club. Ranked in the top ten in New Zealand, she spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.