Checkpoint

Some residents in the Far North town of Kaikohe say a dire jobs shortage means they have no choice but to leave to find work or else languish on the benefit. About 6000 people in the Far North region are on the job seeker benefit, and a local employment adviser says she's snowed under with people desperate for work but nowhere near enough jobs available. On the day Checkpoint visited Kaikohe, all...

Asia correspondent Chris Gilbert spoke to Lisa Owen about how despite recent news of a tentative ceasefire in the Middle East, relations between the US and some Asian allies have cooled and how Thailand is weighing up changes to petrol station operating hours in response to the war. He also spoke about a deer that went walkabout from its famous, tourist attraction home only to be disowned by the c...

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A small South Island football club is taking legal action against its local federation, alleging it is being charged excessive fees. But Mainland Football dispute Oxford FC's claims of price gouging, and the two parties will meet for a mediation. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Winston Peters has welcomed a ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran, but is warning people not to get ahead of themselves. Donald Trump had imposed a deadline on Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, and then went further with threats of attacking infrastructure, and warning a "whole civilisation will die" Winston Peters was in Washington D.C meeting with the U.S Secretary of State as that deadl...

MetService is warning of a cyclone heading our way from the tropics. This one, forecasters say, could get wild, with the possibility of winds like New Zealanders haven't experienced before. The Prime Minister too warned people to prepare for Cyclone Vaianu's impact, which he said is shaping up to be a "significant and damaging weather event." Peter de Graaf has more.

Air Chathams is reviewing its schedule. It's the only airline flying to its name sake Chatham Islands, providing a vital freight link and connection to the mainland and medical appointments. In March, Air Chathams added a $20 surcharge on all its tickets due to the rising cost of aviation fuel. Air Chathams boss, Duane Emeny spoke to Lisa Owen.

If you ever dream of running off to the circus but worry you've left it too late - never fear. In Christchurch there is a now a Circus Arts class specifically for those aged over 60. Rachel Graham swung on by to see what it was all about.

In March, Nicola Willis said treasury was forecasting a peak of 3.7 percent. The Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee left the official cash rate unchanged at 2.25 percent. But it's warning near term inflation is expected to increase considerably and the economic recovery to weaken. The Middle East conflict is the culprit. Economist Cameron Bagrie spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Coroner says 14 people died in suspected suicides after their release from prison over the last three years. Parolees have described being thrown into the outside world without support, and say more psychological support is needed. The Corrections Department told RNZ it does not record the number of suicides. Parolees say Corrections doesn't record the data because it would only make them look...

Uncertainty surrounds when New Zealand's Sail GP team will be back on the water following their horror crash on home water in February. Black Foils skipper and co-CEO Pete Burling has confirmed the team will miss this weekend's Sail GP event in Rio de Janeiro. It appears they'll have to get used to watching the action from the shore. Sports editor Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

Thousands of households and businesses in parts of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak and Three Kings were under a boil water notice after a test showed water contamination. It turned out to be a tap, that has been replaced. But during the notice Watercare's advice was to boil water, so that's a hundred degrees celcius. If boiling on the stove it needed to be for a minute. A supplier of coffee ma...

Travel can be a game of jeopardy at the moment; between war in the Middle East, cancelled or delayed flights or any number of conceivable mishaps. Uncertainty is becoming of feature of domestic travel as well, with an increasing number of extreme weather events and a fuel crisis on New Zealand's doorstep. Ben Rose, the head of financial services at AA spoke to Lisa Owen.

The last minute reprieve comes after Pakistan appears to have brokered a two week ceasefire between the US and Iran. But there are extensive terms and conditions. Iran must agree to the "complete, immediate and safe opening" of the critical Strait of Hormuz shipping route. Both sides have to suspend further attacks. Middle East correspondent Lou Browne spoke to Lisa Owen.

One of Australia's most decorated soldiers, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been arrested over allegations of war crimes. Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Shannon Frizell is coming home. The former All Black flanker will return to Aotearoa later this year with an eye on next year's Rugby World Cup. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Watercare suspects a tap might be the cause of a positive E coli test that prompted a boil water notice across several Auckland neighbourhoods. The notice, which is still in force, covers about 7,500 households and businesses in the suburbs of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak and Three Kings. It was issued after routine water samples showed E coli contamination. Watercare Chief Operations Offic...

A government loan of 18 million dollars for a controversial dam in Central Hawke's Bay has its opponents vowing to halt the project yet again. The Tukituki Water Security project, formerly known as the Ruataniwha Dam, was scuppered in 2017 by the Supreme Court, which deemed the landswap unlawful. But under the government's fast track legislation it could go ahead - which would make it the largest...

It's the whirlpool of war, with prices spiralling upward while confidence is turning in the opposite direction. That's according to a new survey from the Employers and Manufacturers Association. Of the 150 business that responded to the EMA's Fuel Pulse Check Survey, 73 percent said their businesses have been notified of price hikes that are not direct fuel costs, but are linked to oil price surge...

A well known Auckland cafe was forced to take an unwanted, all day, coffee break after E coli was found in the water supply to several suburbs in the city, prompting a boil water notice. The notice covers about 7,500 households and businesses in the suburbs of Hillsborough, Mt Roskill, Royal Oak and Three Kings, after a routine water sample showed contamination. Tap water in the suburbs needs to b...

In the small, predominantly Maori town of Kaikohe, residents struggling with high living costs are using Afterpay to buy everday things like gas. The buy now pay later service lets you purchase goods and services at a quarter of the cost, then pay off the total in three fortnightly installments. For some, it's means being able to get kai on the table that week, though it's not without its downside...

The Prime Minister said he's focused on his core job navigating the fuel crisis and won't talk about polls. The latest Taxpayers Union-Curia poll shows National are still below 30 but slightly up, and Labour slightly down. With a boost of nearly four-points to New Zealand First, the coalition parties would be comfortably able to form a government. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owe...

Taranaki teenager Oscar Goodman has reached the heights of American college basketball. A freshman with the University of Michigan, his team known as the Wolverines, won the coveted national championship, making him just the second New Zealand male to achieve the feat. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

There's a call for more than four million dollars in fines for a notorious Wellington bus lane to be refunded, with claims its almost impossible for drivers to comply with the rules. Council data shows in the 12 months since March 2025, more than 28,000 fines, worth four and quarter million dollars have been issued to drivers illegally in the Cambridge Terrace Bus lane. The bus lane that allows mo...