Checkpoint

Wellington Rugby has met with referees who have been copping abused from the field and the side lines to come up with some solutions to allow games to continue to be played this season. All games are cancelled in Wellington this weekend after referees withdrew their services, but there's an agreement that a new programme called 'positive vibes' is part of the way forward. Sports reporter Felicity...

The reserve bank has raised the official cash rate to 2.5 percent, up 25 basis points. It's the first hike in more than three years. Economists have been fiercely divided over whether it's the right time for a raise. Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr spoke to Lisa Owen.

The wild weather has jumped the Cook Strait with a large swathe of the North Island in for a drenching. Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Wairarapa and the eastern hills of Wellington, as well as a number of other eastern areas of the North Island. Reporter Mary Argue spoke to Lisa Owen from Martinborough.

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about police investigating the death of a four-year-old boy, in circumstances that can only be described as disturbing.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

All Blacks star Wallace Sititi has revealed his mum wanted him to quit rugby after suffering a severe concussion last month. Footage showed Sititi visbly shaking on the field in a confronting scene for fans, teammates and especially his whanau. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A key witness who saw someone running from the scene of Arthur Easton's murder in 1985 says he still believes the person he saw was Māori. The ethnicity of the suspect is important as Alan Hall, the man wrongly convicted of the murder, is Pākehā and went on to serve 17 years in prison. The former senior police officers have gone on trial at the High Court in Auckland, charged will wilfully attempt...

An outbreak of a highly contagious horse disease is spreading among thoroughbreds in the North Island , raising concerns about exports. Strangles is a serious bacterial infection for horses, ponies and donkeys that causes a fever and painful abscesses in the throat. The disease has been confirmed on a dozen stud farms - all but one are in Waikato and the horses have been isolated to prevent it spr...

Emergency services, including a specialist water rescue team, spent more than three hours freeing a driver trapped in his car, in rising flood waters near Lyford. Team Leader of Fire and Emergency's Specialist Water Rescue Team in Kaikoura, Hamiora Taite spoke to Lisa Owen.

A state of emergency remains for the Kaikōura district after the Kowhai River breached its banks, with the evacuation area extended and evacuation centres heaving. More rain is forecast overnight. Locals have told RNZ the current flood feels ominously similar to the 1993 flood which devastated the region. Keiller MacDuff reports from Kaikōura.

The Prime Minister has expressed concern over China's missile test - saying it's inconsistent with Pacific values. Shortly after Australia and Fiji inked a new security pact, China fired a long-range missile with a dummy warhead into the Pacific. While China gave NZ a heads-up, it was only hours before the test happened. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

An alcohol industry group says it has a "fundamental right to be consulted" over a review of official health advice on so called "low risk drinking". The Health NZ guidelines are being reviewed as part of a three year cancer action plan, released last week. Executive director of the Alcohol Beverages Council, Virginia Nicholls spoke to Lisa Owen.

Residents of a lower North Island retirement village lost their first battle to stop the speed limit on the highway outside their gate returning to 100km/h. But Speldhurst Country Estate near Levin has now won the war with transport officials confirming a drop back to 80km/h. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

More than 50 child protection and sexual assault cases are being re-opened following concerns about how a senior police officer handled them. It follows a rapid review of 1000 files that were under the oversight of Detective Inspector Kevan Verry while working in different locations over a three-year period from May 2023. Assistant Commissioner District Support Tusha Penny spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Wellington Rugby Union is throwing its support behind referees who are boycotting club games due to ongoing abuse. All college to club level games are cancelled this weekend after the union decided not to draft in replacement referees. Wellington Rugby Union boss, Tony Giles spoke to Lisa Owen.

United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about President Trump calling FIFA's boss over a US player's suspension, which has some critics and fans seeing red.

A Wairoa Mayor is campaigning for councils to have more legal powers to deal with the proliferation of vape stores. Craig Little is concerned vaping is being normalised and it is hard to protect vulnerable communities, and is appealing for other council's to join forces. Wairoa Mayor Craig Little spoke to Lisa Owen.

Kaikoura is under a State of Emergency, and a red heavy rain warning remains in place for Marlborough, parts of Canterbury and the Kaikoura Ranges until 6am tomorrow morning. Earlier, the Kowhai River breached its banks, forcing people to move to higher ground. Reporter Keiller MacDuff was in Kaikoura and spoke to Lisa Owen. 

United Kingdom correspondent Grace Thomas spoke to Lisa Owen about how wildfires are tearing through Europe while another heatwave looms for the UK. She also spoke about how Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage is at the centre of another political donations controversy and how England have beaten Mexico in the knockout World Cup match.

A former High Court judge said it was for a jury, not the police, to decide whether a witness who saw a man running from a murder scene was relevant to the case. Alan Hall spent 17 years in prison after being convicted of murdering Arthur Easton, who was killed during a home invasion in 1985 by a man wielding a bayonet. The decision was quashed by the Supreme Court in 2022 after it found a substan...

News from the business sector, including a market report.

It's the word All Black fans dread; Rotation. After surviving the French in Christchurch, the side has hinted at rotating the team for the Italians in Wellington. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A small southland community that doesn't have a permanent doctor is fundraising to keep a nurse at the local medical centre. The Nightcaps Medical centre has two visiting GP who work two and half days a week, in between times a nurse sees patients. The nurse was funded by Well South, the primary health organisation for Otago and Southland. But that funding ended in March last year. Nightcaps Commu...

A campaign is underway to save a runaway pig that prompted a police chase after apparently escaping from a stock truck and wandering on a state highway near Eketahuna. Donald is now potentially in the queue to become bacon. An old law means the Tararua District council was forced to auction-off Donald after no-one claimed him following his antics last month. Sold for $320 dollars, the former escap...

New Zealand has been warned that China plans to fire a missile into the South Pacific Ocean within the next 24 hours. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.