Checkpoint

A group of Taranaki mayors want urgent changes to a proposed disability support law they believe will put a disproportionate and unfair burden on their district. Taranaki has a higher than average numbers of people living with disability and unpaid informal caregivers. Taranaki Mayoral forum chairman Craig Williamson spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Taranaki-based startup using fermentation to turn difficult food waste into living soil is gaining momentum. Green Loop collects not only organic waste but also processed foods, meat and dairy products which it treats on farmland at Korito near New Plymouth. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more.

New Zealand researchers are warning climate change may mean an increase in bacteria infected seafood and the water itself. The group of waterborne bacteria called Vibrio can cause stomach bugs, infect cuts if you're swimming in it, and seafood containing the bacteria can also make you sick. The bacteria flourish in a warm environment. Science Leader at the NZ Institute for Public Health and Forens...

Fourteen staff members have had to take time off work after being assaulted by patients at Palmerston North Hospital's new mental health ward, Ngā Wai Ngāro, since it opened in February. Now the brother of a former patient of the service, who died by suicide while under hospital care, says inadequate staffing levels are putting people at risk. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

The final whistle has blown on day one of the Football World Cup - and the opening of the 23rd edition of the tournament will be remembered for discipline issues on and off the field. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

Conservations are calling for the Selwyn District Council to consider a by-law to stop people feeding Kea at Arthur's Pass, something they say can be fatal. It encourages Kea to hang around roads and built up areas, and that is where accidents happen. The Kea Conservation Trust's Renee Habluetzel spoke to Lisa Owen.

Middle East correspondent Lou Browne spoke to Lisa Owen about a peace agreement with Iran that could be reached this weekend accord to Donald Trump after calling off a fresh round of planned US strikes. 

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.