Checkpoint

A nurse is calling for improvements to a fatal intersection on a popular holiday highway between Auckland and the Coromandel. There have been a number of fatal and serious injury accidents at the intersection of SH25 and Hauraki Road, known as Orongo corner. Local nurse Fiona Lagae is pushing for a review and remodel of the blackspot and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about Australia's major political parties continuing to grapple with a surge in support for One Nation, after a recent survey put the party polling ahead of the governing Labor Party. 

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A determined Otago school principal is not one to run from a problem, instead he is literally running towards a solution. Rob Taylor from Dunedin's Musselburgh Primary was reluctant to pass extra costs for school camp onto parents so decided to raise the money himself by convincing people to sponsor him for two half marathons. Musselburgh Primary Principal, Rob Taylor spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Prime Minister has said he will not paying the billions of dollars Treasury estimates is needed for New Zealand to meet its climate commitments. Treasury today said it could cost up to $5 billion to pay for overseas carbon credits, to meet a shortfall in the country's pledge to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. At Fieldays in Hamilton, Christopher Luxon said New Zealand was staying in th...

The Children's Commissioner is calling for young people's voices to be heard in discussions around banning social media for under-16s. The government has promised an update this month on a proposal to block under 16s from using social media. In a new report mokopuna largely agree more needs to be done to improve online safety, and tech companies should be the ones held to account. Children's Commi...

A mystery defecator has struck again - closing a much-loved fernery in Masterton while cleaning teams wiped up their mess. The Queen Elizabeth park attraction - which features an enclosed walk around a stream, through a path of ferns - shut its doors yesterday. The council said it is not the first time someone has emptied their bowels in the fernery. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Three countries, 16 cities, more teams and more matches. A University of Auckland researcher says it all means the FIFA World Cup is predicted to be history's most environmentally damaging sports event, while also suffering itself from hotter temperatures. Sociologist Chris McMillan says it's frightening, and spoke with Lisa Owen.

"It's psychologically demoralising to be working for nothing". That from advocates who say having to do hundreds of hours of unpaid on the job training is leaving some professions decades behind the earnings of minimum wage workers. Nurses, teachers, medical students, midwives and social workers must do supervised placements to finish off their degree. But that can mean clocking up the kilometres...

It's not just traditional agriculture exports that are booming at the annual Fieldays expo at Mystery Creek this year. Agritech - from drones to virtual fencing - is also now starting to show huge growth and significant export potential for New Zealand. Business editor Corin Dann reports.

More malicious fake social media posts are targeting sportspeople. The latest victim of the phenomenon is Warriors coach Andrew Webster a false post announcing the death of his wife Emma. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Bad music is literally driving customers away according to new research. The study by One Music NZ, the agency that collects royalties and licenses music for commercial use surveyed more than 1200 people. It found 38 percent of people walk out of a store or venue if they don't like the music playing, and almost 50 percent will stay longer if the music vibe is right. OneMusic New Zealand director G...

US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about tensions erupting again in the Middle East with the United States launching more strikes against Iran. President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Iran "very hard" after the US carried out so called "self-defence" strikes. Meanwhile, Iran said it has shut the Strait of Hormuz

It is estimated more than 1000 young people in Gisborne don't have a home to go to. The area is one of the worst for severe housing deprivation according to a study by the Coalition to End Women's Homelessness. It said there were almost 33,200 people under the age of 17 experiencing some form of homelessness at the 2023 census, and homeless children were three times more likely to live in Gisborne...

Europe correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about anti-immigration protests in Northern Ireland after a vicious knife attack in Belfast. As well as Albania's Prime Minister defending Donald Trump's daughter and son-in-law's plan to build a luxury resort despite public outrage.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe has made more history as the first New Zealander named in Time magazine's inaugural 100 most influential people in sport. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A thousand new homes in Queenstown are being targeted at "high quality, long term" renterns, with seasonal workers warned not to apply. Housing developer Simplicity living has the project on the fast-track pathway, and if it gets the green light the first 200 homes should be available within 18 months. Chief executive Sam Stubbs spoke to Lisa Owen.

The politics of climate change and the environment is front and centre at the annual Field Days agricultural showcase as Hamilton's Mystery Creek. National and ACT announced key emissions policies, with ACT reiterating its call to leave the Paris Climate Change agreement if methane targets aren't relaxed. Business Editor Corin Dann reports.

Expense records show a government minister spent almost $17,000 in airport parking fees over two years. Credit card records show between February 2024 and February 2026 Karen Chhour parked her vehicle at Auckland airport for a combined eight and a half months. That cost taxpayers $16,686. The figures were revealed alongside other MPs spending habits. Former Minister Peter Dunne spoke to Lisa Owen...

A New Zealand blood cancer patient who was forced to leave his children behind and make a last chance dash to Australia to access funded drugs has now been given a cutting edge transplant that is not publicly available here. Tawhai Reti, who has myeloma, had exhausted all treatment options in NZ. Earlier this year he moved to Australia without his family to access the lifesaving drug Daratumamab,...

The Labour Party is promising cost-of-living relief for public transport users - pledging to cap their fares at no more than $20 a week if elected. National says it's just more irresponsible spending from Labour. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

The sister-in-law of a woman detained by ICE in the US has described the quashing of her 2016 conviction as a huge relief. Everlee Wihongi's lawyer has told RNZ that she could be released from US custody is a matter of days or weeks, after a judge vacated her conviction for marijuana possession. The next step is to get the court's decision to immigration officials and homeland security. Finn Black...

One of New Zealand's most enduring sporting careers is set to reach another remarkable milestone. Twenty years on from making his Commonwealth Games debut, artistic gymnast Misha Koudinov has been named in the NZ team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It puts him on track become just the third Kiwi athlete to compete at six Commonwealth games. Sports editor Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa O...

It was a bottle of wine sure to get people talking. A group of friends indulging in a bottle worth $400,000 over dinner a few nights ago. The 1996 bottle was bought by one of the friends in 1999 for $2000. Since then, friends have bought shares in the bottle. It was finally consumed after more than two decades at Wellington's Noble Rot wine bar. Bar operations manager, Jessica Wood spoke to Lisa O...