Checkpoint

Mind the growing gap between the minimum and living wages, the difference between the two is now about $6 an hour, with official increases on Wednesday. The adult minimum wage is $23.95 cents an hour after a $0.45 increase. That's about $958 dollars for a 40 hour week, before tax. On the other hand, the living wage is officially going to $29.90 an hour or about $1200 before tax a week. Charles Wal...

There's growing concern about the rehoming of hundreds of greyhounds with the dog racing industry due to be shut down in just four months time. A bill banning the sport by August, is likely to come up for its third and final reading in Parliament tomorrow. ACT has pulled its support for the legislation raising concerns about the crown effectively confiscating the private property of law abiding bu...

NZTA Waka Kotahi is consulting on how it's going to pay for the first section of the multi-billion-dollar Northland Expressway. Many motorists accept they'll have to pay to use the new road, but the question is: How much? Reporter Peter de Graaf has more.

Users of car sharing service Mevo are gutted the company's gone into voluntary administration, saying it's a cost-effective and climate-conscious choice that's served them well for years. The Wellington-based company had cars in the capital as well as Auckland, Hamilton and Nelson. Regular customers and the administrators, are hoping it'll come out the other side. Lauren Crimp reports.

The White Ferns are facing a record run chase to level the one-day cricket series against South Africa in Wellington on Wednesday. The visitors posted a competitive 346 for 6 which is the highest total for a women's one-dayer at the Basin Reserve. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

New research suggests there's a simple way to get students match fit; let them wear sports gear all day rather than traditional uniforms. A study in collaboraton with Australia's Newcastle University found out of thousands of responses, more than three quarters supported the daily wearing of activity enabling sports uniforms. Newcastle University's Belinda Peden spoke to Lisa Owen.

America correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about how after a months-long fuel crisis and regular blackouts, Cuba has received a large oil delivery from Russia and how Mexico's president has continued to weigh in on the situation in Cuba. She also spoke about why have clowns been protesting on the streets of Bolivia's capital.

Families already struggling with alcohol harm will be worse off if Easter alcohol restrictions are loosened acording to a public heallth adviser. Currently, businesses with an on-licence can only sell alcohol if the customer is "residing or lodging" on the premises, or "present on the premises to dine." However a member's bill, from Labour's Kieran McAnulty, would let premises already open on Good...

Australian police are hunting for anyone who might have assisted the notorious fugitive Dezi Freeman who was shot dead on Monday by officers attempting to arrest the wanted man after months on the run. Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Barnardos is celebrating the opening of a new whare at its residence for at-risk rangatahi. The whare would have cost about 700-thousand dollars if not for the support and generosity of volunteers and the community. It provides a space for the children - who can no longer live at home - to reconnect with their whanau and heal. Timothy Brown went along to check it out.

New Zealand Rugby has locked in one of its brightest stars. Teenage Black Ferns fullback Braxton Sorensen McGee has recommitted to Aotearoa, with sevens set to be her focus. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A grand old dame, who survived World War One and emigrated from Europe to New Zealand with a kiwi solider has made a surprise visit to Te Papa to see an exhibition which actually features her replica. Torty the tortoise, is well over a hundred years old and has been taken care of by three generations of the same family. Stewart Little, a stretcher bearer brought her home to Dunedin from Greece, in...

The killings of two swedish tourists in the 1980's is one of the most notorious criminal cases in New Zealand's history and as of today the double murders are unsolved. The Supreme Court has quashed David Tamihere's convictions, 36 years after he was found guilty of murdering back packers Sven Urban Höglin and Heidi Paakkonen in the Coromandel. The couple was last seen in Thames in April 1989. Dr...

The boss of one of the country's largest energy companies said the the war in the Middle East is a "bazooka" for the government's planned Liquefied Natural Gas import terminal in Taranaki. The government has been pursuing plans for a billion dollar LNG terminal in Taranaki to protect fuel against dry-year risk. The Prime Minister has started to soften his language, saying if it doesn't stack up co...

When Everybody's Theatre in Opunake put out an SOS after its projector gave up the ghost - it appears "everyone" wanted to help out. Looking at a bill of 18 thousand dollars, the coastal Taranaki cinema faced months of being out of action - but the community wasn't having that. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin went to Opunake to see what makes Everybody's Theatre so special.

After a week of searching for a dog lost in the remote alpine back country behind Hokitika, a determined group of rescuers have found Molly; wet but well. Molly got separated from her owner Jess, who was seriously injured after falling down a waterfall in the Arahura Valley. Strangers donated thousand of dollars for a helicoper search of the area, after local pilot Matt Newton had already tried to...

The post code lottery is still alive in New Zealand's heath system. That warning comes from doctors at Palmerston Hospital, where recruitment problems have driven one department to the brink. Of the two doctors still at the hospital's gastroenterology service one is about to finish and the other says he's going to leave too due to the workload and conditions. However, Health NZ said it has the abi...

While some of New Zealand's top cricketers are playing in T20 franchise cricket in India, next door in Bangladesh, the Black Caps will be playing white ball internationals. The upcoming tour clashes with both the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League, causing some selection headaches for the national side. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

On call doctors and health workers are asking Health New Zealand to cover their travel costs as petrol prices head in one direction. The medical workers include junior doctors, MRI techs, psychologists, and lab scientists, who are called in outside their normal work hours, meaning they're often making repeat trips to hospital or other work sites. Apex national secretary Dr Deborah Powell spoke to...

The US president has once again vowed to obliterate important Iranian infrastructure if a deal to end the war isn't reached soon. Despite the threat, Donald Trump said there have been "serious discussions" between the two countries. Iran has called American peace proposals "unrealistic." United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen.

The man at the centre of one of the country's highest profile crimes, David Tamihere, has had his double murder convictions quashed after 36 years. Tamihere was found guilty in 1990 of the murder of young Swedish trampers Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen in a case that shook the country and went around the world. Reporter Rowan Quinn spoke to Lisa Owen.

Europe correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about how French Police are investigating an attempted bomb attack in Paris and how new survey has revealed it's a worrying time for British hospitality businesses. She also spoke about the Sunday Star Times naming its best place to live in the UK for 2026.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

New Zealand's fuel stocks remain strong - with the latest update showing an increase in petrol and diesel levels.