Checkpoint

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about many Australians finding themselves unable to communicate electronically yesterday after a major outage of services provided by the country's biggest telco.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Warriors are back in action tomorrow night after a much needed week off. On the back of three losses from their last four games - the side head to Sydney to meet the West Tigers - a club with a close connection to coach Andrew Webster. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A group of very young North Canterbury students are driving change when it comes to protecting some of Aotearoa's most precious birds. The students - between six and eight years old - have convinced the Waimakariri District Council to investigate a bylaw to ban vehicles and dogs on the Ashley/Rakahuri River bed during nesting. Teacher Anita Ward spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's been a tense day at Tauranga Hospital as medical registrar's faced the prospect of more than a quarter of their staff away over the long weekend. A doctor issued a plea on social media calling for anyone familiar with the hospital to come in and help as a medical registrar over Saturday and Sunday. Finn Blackwell has more.

As wild weather and flood waters smash the country yet again, the damage and repair bills are dangerously high. A new report from Earth Sciences New Zealand lays out the enormous infrastructure bills faced by regions following extreme weather events last year. Local Government New Zealand president and Gisborne Mayor, Rehette Soltz spoke to Lisa Owen.

Floodwater is slowly starting to recede in Kaikoura after rivers burst their banks in torrential rain earlier this week. While the district remains in a state of emergency, people have left evacuation centres and are returning to homes and businesses coated in mud, slit and debris. Samantha Gee reports.

Auckland's rail network is closed once again as gencies run a final dress rehearsal for the long anticipated City Rail Link. Auckland Transport and KiwiRail remain tight lipped on when the underground loop will open to commuters, but promise the four day Matariki weekend closure will be its last push to the finish line. Felix Walton reports.

New national guidelines are being developed for assessing and monitoring patients in emergency departments following the death of a man in the Waikato Hospital ED. Following a rapid review of the incident Health New Zealand says the death was an acute unexpected incident. Health NZ Executive National Director - Clinical, Dr Richard Sullivan spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand is looking at joining a new defence treaty that would see Fiji added to our list of formal allies. Earlier this week, Australia and Fiji signed a landmark deal that cemented their formal allegiance - now the government here says it's an opportunity to grow Pacific unity and build stronger partnerships. Political reporter Giles Dexter spoke to Lisa Owen.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has made plenty of tweaks for this weekend's sold out test against Italy in Wellington with a third of the starting XV switched out. Rugby reporter Joe Porter spoke to Lisa Owen.

A 19 year old will be taking a plunge into the ice cold Lake Wakatipu as part of the Wakatipu Legends swim on Saturday. But the gruelling swim is just part of extensive training for Jemimah McIlroy before she swims the Cook Strait. Next week, the Otago Polytech sport and exercise student will set off on a 50km swim from Glenorchy to Queenstown. Jemimah McIlroy spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's rinse and repeat in South Wairarapa with back-to-back storms dumping huge amounts of rain, flooding rivers, and closing roads across the district in recent days. The heavy rain yesterday and overnight has seen the main routes into holiday hotspot Martinborough shut for the second time in 24 hours. Mary Argue reports

The ceasefire is "over" according to the US President as tensions with Iran boil over once again. The US Military has carried out fresh strikes against Southern Iranian targets along the Strait of Hormuz. It says the latest action is in response to the a spate of Iranian attacks against tankers in the strait. US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen.

Almost two dozen driver testing officers have either been suspended or stood down, following an NZTA investigation. 650 drivers will have to res-sit their practical tests. The transport agency says the suspensions are due to concerns over "abnormal" test results. NZTA Director of Land Transport Mike Hargreaves spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Grace Thomas spoke to Lisa Owen about Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, resigning from parliament in order to stand for his seat again in a by-election, amid mounting controversy over financial donations.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

SH1 north of Kaikoura is reopening, but the road south could be out for days after two days of torrential rain. Emergency Maangement and Recovery Minister, Mark Mitchell viewed the "significant" damange from the air this afternoon. NZTA Regional Manager for the Lower North Island and top of the South, Mark Owen spoke to Lisa Owen.

Three strikes for burglars and it will be three years minimum behind bars if ACT has its way after this year's election. It launched the law and order policy this afternoon. The party says 184,000 New Zealanders were victims of burglary last year, and nearly three quarters of burglars are recidivists who end up being sentenced again. ACT's Deputy Leader Nicole McKee spoke to Lisa Owen.

The chief victims advisor is deeply worried about trust and confidence in police after more than 50 child protection and sexual assault complaints have been re-opened because of concerns how a detective handled them. That includes cases where children may have been left in situations where they were at risk. Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money spoke to Lisa Owen.

Damage caused by the latest heavy rain is continuing this afternoon. Several properties in Oamaru have been evacuated after a landslide, and a number of properties in Dunedin are being evacuated because of slips. Keiller MacDuff reports.

A Ministry of Health investigation into alleged torture and potential human rights abuses at a Dunedin forensic facility for people with intellectual disabilities could take months. Last week the Ombudsman revealed his inspectors had seen some of the worst practices they'd ever observed on Ward 10a at Wakari Hospital. Director of Mental Health for the Ministry of Health, Doctor John Crawshaw spoke...

Labour has come to the solar party, with both sides of the aisle now hoping to woo voters with solar policies. Labour has matched National's policy to deliver low-interest solar loans paid back through rates - but is attempting to one-up its opponents by proposing subsidies to help lower income families and renters pay for the kit. Political reporter Giles Dexter reports.

It was meant to teach children about marine life in rockpools but instead, a misunderstanding led to online attacks and hatred. The Sir Peter Blake Marine Education and Recreation Centre received threatening comments on Facebook after hosting free tidepool explorations at Auckland's east coast beaches last month. Jessica Hopkins reports.

Middle East correspondent Lou Browne spoke to Lisa Owen about the US Central Command launching "powerful strikes" against Iran just weeks after a ceasefire between the two countries came into force. Explosions have been heard in southern Iran with reports of several injuries. The latest round of strikes come after several tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were allegedly attacked by Iran.