RNZ: Checkpoint

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the growth forecast or the UK suffering a huge hit in the wake of the Iran war, as well as the British Armed Forces turning their attention to Russia's shadow fleet.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Kiwi MMA legend Israel Adesanya will headline UFC Fight Night in Seattle, where another loss may spell the end for the former champion. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A group representing people with a rare genetic disorder say they've been waiting almost two decades for some critical drugs to be funded. Fabry disease is caused by a missing enzyme, and can lead to life threatening complications including organ failure. There is no cure but there are treatments available overseas to slow degeneration from the disease. Deborah Klyer from Fabry New Zealand spoke to Lisa Owen.

There is no need to stockpile - that's the message from the government as it reveals the details of its fuel response plan. The plan sets out the four phases of the response - including what criteria will trigger a move between them. Phases three and four would bring in priority bands to see who gets dibs - but the government is confident that right now, there's enough supply coming in. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

A new marae under construction in New Plymouth - a city that hasn't had a functioning marae for about 150 years - represents a homecoming for manu whenua. Ngāti Te Whiti hapū is building the 15-million-dollar Ngāmotu Marae, overlooking Port Taranaki, and hopes it will become a focal point for the wider community. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin has more. 

A KiwiSaver provider says more people are asking about dipping into their KiwiSaver due to hardship - as the cost of living and market volatility bites. Figures from Inland Revenue show last month almost 5000 kiwis withdrew $41.2 million due to financial hardship up from $37 million in February 2025. That was before the war in Iran caused the fuel prices to skyrocket and rattled the financial market. Generate KiwiSaver's Head of investment, Greg Smith spoke to Lisa Owen.

A council's decision to close a major intersection in the Waikato for roadworks has turned the area into commuter chaos, say locals. Several crashes have ensued on the Waikato Expressway at two interchanges, as displaced traffic causes signficant congestion during rush hour. As Natalie Akoorie reports, residents are fearful someone will be killed.

With Dave Rennie's coaching squad assembled, the new crew now turn their attention to the players they'll task with resurrecting the national side, their next audition coming in round seven of Super Rugby Pacific. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen. 

Woolworths New Zealand has been fined thousands of dollars for failing to properly deal with a rat infestation at its South Dunedin supermarket. More than 20 rats were caught when the supermarket closed for close to three weeks in February 2024 to eliminate the furry problem. The company was charged and pleaded guilty last year before appearing for sentencing in the Dunedin District Court this afternoon. Tess Brunton spoke to Lisa Owen.

Americas correspondent, Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about Venezuela's former president Nicolas Maduro appearing in front of a US court today, as well as US-Cuba tensions escalating - with Fidel Castro's brother reportedly becoming involved in discussions between the two countries.

In Northland, a retired couple's Ōakura home has been flooded again while still being repaired after a storm in January that severely damaged the property. Ōakura was still in clean up mode after some people were forced out of their homes more than two months ago. The couple had only just moved back home before yesterday's rain. Ōakura resident Linda Kelsall spoke to Lisa Owen.

The severe weather that swept into Northland has moved swiftly down the island, leaving the region in clean up & recovery mode and others bracing for impact. Kaikohe residents are being asked to urgently conserve water after the town's treatment plant was damaged by flooding. In Kaitaia a rapid relief team's been serving free meals to evacuees. NZTA is urging caution with an number of roads damaged.

As war continues in the Middle East, Australians are reassessing their heavy dependence on fossil fuels -- in particular petrol and diesel - amid fears supplies will diminish in the weeks ahead. There are also concerns that rubbish could pile up on streets as the rising price of diesel puts pressure on waste collection services. Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen.

The red heavy rain warning for Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangarei remains in place until 4am..

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Finland's football team are the furthest from home many of them have ever been to play. The world number 75 side missed out on qualifying for the Football World Cup and are now in Auckland for two games in the FIFA Series. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand is turning into a no grow zone when it comes to vegetable processing. McCain and Watties are both shutting down processing operations, raising concerns about the health of manufacturing in New Zealand. Head of Advocacy & Strategy at the Employers and Manufacturers Association, Alan McDonald spoke to Lisa Owen.

A young mum facing life threatening delays for cancer treatment may be forced to raise more than a million dollars for a stem cell transplant overseas. Loran Geddes, who is 29, was diagnosed with Leukaemia last year and needs a stem cell transplant for any chance of a cure. But a lengthy waitlist means her treatment keeps getting pushed out, significantly impacting her chance of survival. What was at first a six month wait, is now nine months. She's now in remission and must stay this way to get the transplant that is still six months off, leaving her in a dangerous limbo. Loran Geddes spoke to Lisa Owen. 

It's been a wet and wild 24 hours for the top of the country, with some areas seeing more than 200 millimetres of rain. Whangārei District Council and the Far North District Council have each declared states of emergency. The deluge has closed roads, including the two routes that connect the tip of the Far North to the rest of the motu. Locals are now bracing for another night of rough weather, with Civil Defence warning the worst could be yet to come. Teuila Fuatai reports. 

This year marks a quarter century since The Lord of the Rings first hit screens - and fans are still journeying to Middle Earth. Tour operators say they've had a bumper summer and interest in Lord of the Rings experiences - and seeing film locations - is actually growing. Katie Todd reports.

The NZ College of Midwives have won its class action against the crown over fair and reasonable pay. A court decision has found the way the Crown paid its lead maternity carers unlawfully discriminated on the basis of sex and the crown failed to ensure self-employed midwives got fair and reasonable pay. The case was heard in the High Court in 2024. College of midwives CEO Alison Eddy spoke to Lisa Owen.

A literal life saver for those admitted there, but a North Canterbury eating disorder residential facility can't attract government funding, leading to concerns about who can access care. Recovered Living NZ offers a different experience from the public system - catering for only nine people at a time - patients live in and stay for months at a time. But it comes at a cost of just over $1000 a night. The not-for-profit facility has a contract with ACC for sensitive claims patients but has been passed over for Health NZ funding to open the service to more people. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

There's a growing divide is emerging in junior sport. As some clubs experiment with ways to reduce barriers for young players, others say rising costs are forcing difficult decisions about fees just to keep the lights on. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Waikato maths whizz is waiting on some final calculations to see if he's taken out his fifth world title in a row. The marathon 48-hour global online maths contest kicked off yesterday. The games see rangatahi compete in live 60 second rounds going head-to-head against other students around the world. Hamilton year nine student Woojin Kim had a lot to play for, after winning four consecutive titles. He spoke to Lisa Owen.

United State correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about tech giants dealing with a major legal blow in a landmark social media addiction trial. A Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for designing their social media platforms in a way that can be intentionally addictive and harmful to young people. Each company has been ordered to pay millions in damages, and the finding could affect thousands of other cases.

States of Emergency have been declared in Whangarei and the Far North with storm conditions expected get worse overnight. Northland east of Kaikohe from Doubtless Bay to Whangarei is under a red weather warning until 4am tomorrow. 25 schools closed throughout the region, affecting nearly 4000 students. State Highway 1 is also closed at four different locations around Northland. Civil Defence Co-ordinator in Whangaruru, Noeline Whitehead spoke to Lisa Owen.

UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the UK taking matters into its own hands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as transgender women and girls involved in UK Girl-guiding groups have been told they have until September to leave.

A Dunedin city councillor has resorted to reading a novel to defend himself at what he's likened to a public show trial. First-term representative Benedict Ong was censured by his colleagues at a meeting today for criticising a council staff member, in an email sent last month to the chief executive and local journalists. Tess Brunton reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

It is the final day of the double header series between New Zealand and South Africa. The Black Caps and White Ferns play the last of five T20's against their Protea counterparts today. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

Teachers working from home, carpooling and cancelling away trips are just some of things rural schools are having to do to manage rising fuel costs. Rural schools are already finding it harder to get relievers, some of whom have to travel long distances to get to work, with private vehicles the only transport options. Families are feeling the squeeze too getting students to and from school bus stops. The New Zealand Rural Schools Association met with the Ministry of Education this afternoon to come up with a game plan. Association president Andrew King spoke to Lisa Owen.

The local government minister says he's called Wellington's mayor for a please explain over huge water bills for residents, which are forecast to hit almost seven grand a year by the end of the decade. One of the region's mayors says that figure is horrendous and unaffordable, and she's worried it will drive people out of the region. Wellington's new water entity, Tiaki Wai, is a council-controlled organisation taking over Wellington, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua City Councils water assets from July. It's warning residents of steep rises in charges as the organisation tries to fix old, failing infrastructure. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

More than four million New Zealanders are missing out on modern medicines languishing on what is effectively Pharmac's drug wish list, according to a new report commissioned by Medicines New Zealand; a group representing the pharmaceutical industry. It says 137 modern medicines that Pharmac would buy if it could afford to have spent an average of six and half years on the Options for Investment list. The report says 83% of those medicines are so called standard of care drugs in other countries; meaning they are the go to treatments. Medicines NZ CEO Graeme Jarvis spoke to Lisa Owen.

After an estimated one million hours of construction labour, Te Rua - Archive New Zealand's new Wellington building - is now open. At a cost of $290 million it's described as one of the world's most technologically advanced archive-protection facilities. Delivered on budget and on time, the Internal Affairs Minister says it's a win for public-private partnerships. But where the archive's entire collection will eventually end up, and how much it will cost to store it, remains unclear. Mary Argue reports.

Utes and SUV's, some of the country's top selling new vehicles, are in the spotlight due to their capacity to guzzle fuel. With prices rising at the pump, there's concern about diesel stock, which largely keeps industry moving, including freight and farming. It's prompted calls for more regulation to discourage people buying supersized vehicles. Professor Alistair Woodward from the University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences wants to see habits change. He spoke to Lisa Owen.

Councils in regions regularly threatened by floods have invested in an innovative, locally-made tool to help protect them and are encouraging others to do the same. They say the ARK flood barrier - a temporary, reusable dam - can be rolled out quickly in the midst of a disaster, an attractive alternative to heaving heavy sacks of sand. The Tauranga manufacturers say it's got potential to save homes, businesses and critical infrastructure across the motu. Lauren Crimp reports.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is rocking the boat. The Ineos Group owner wants to take back the almost half a billion dollar racing yacht built by his company for the 2024 America's Cup. It follows a split between Ratcliffe and Sir Ben Ainslie who's team - Athena Racing - intends to take the boat to the next competition. Now Ratcliffe is claiming the boat built for the last challenge belongs to him. Sports editor Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

The coalition has ditched a contentious aspect of fisheries legislation after a backlash from recreational fishers. Several political parties are claiming credit for throwing back the controverisal law change that would have removed commerical minimum size limits for various species, including snapper. Fisheries Minister Shane Jones spoke to Lisa Owen.

US President Donald Trump says talks to bring an end to the US-Israeli war with Iran are underway. The comments come amid reports that the US is poised to send thousands more troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran has told the United Nations it will let "non-hostile" ships pass through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Amercias correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen.

People who aren't eligible for the governments fuel relief package such as beneficiaries or those living in rural communities and with no children have said it's "a real kick in the guts". Yesterday, the government announced that more than 140,000 working families with children will get an extra $50 a week to help counter rising fuel prices. The government says the payment will target those struggling the most, the genuinely squeezed. But for people living by themselves, without children, receiving the pension and living rurally, they feel as though they've been squeezed out. Bella Craig spoke with some of them.

Northlanders are urged to take the red heavy rain warning seriously and be ready to go if they have to. The warning is in place for the eastern area from Doubtless Bay down to Whangarei until 4am Friday. An orange heavy rain warning and strong wind watch remain in place for the rest of the region, with the worst expected to hit from Thursday afternoon. Northland Civil Defence spokesperson Zach Wood spoke to Lisa Owen.