RNZ: Checkpoint

How would you feel if that little voice in your head went completely quiet? You know the one that stresses about all the mistakes you've made just as you're trying to get to sleep or replays that same pesky ear worm over and over again. Well for some people that's a reality and it's called anauralia. Checkpoint producer Johnny Sutherland spoke to Lisa Owen about one person's experience living with a silent mind.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the UK Covid-19 Inquiry pubishing a damning report on how political leaders responded during the pandemic, as well as the UK Home Secretary unveiling another policy cracking down on migrants.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Wellington Phoenix women have suffered a double blow with two players out for the remainder of the A-League season with an increasingly common injury. Female footballers are more at risk of ACL injuries than their male counterparts, a phenomenon that is now so prolific it is part a FIFA study. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A lawyer for Pike River families says police now have enough evidence to lay manslaughter charges over the mine disaster. Twenty-nine men were killed in the 2010 mine explosion and while charges under the Health and Safety Act were laid against former Pike River Coal boss Peter Whittall, they were dropped in exchange for a $3 million payment to the victims families. The police undertook further drilling into the mine in 2021 to gather more evidence and have been working with the Crown Solicitor trying to decide whether to lay charges. Samantha Gee has more.

Competition is picking up between the banks as they fight for home loan customers. But it looks different these days - where once we saw them slashing rates aggressively, now they use cash back offers to get new customers in the door. So who actually benefits here?Money correspondent Susan Edmunds has been checking this out and spoke to Lisa Owen.

The debate over transgender inclusion in sport is heading to court. Auckland Pride is seeking a judicial review after the Minister for Sport and Recreated ordered the removal of the guidelines for transgender inclusion in community sport. First published in 2022, the document asked sporting bodies to consider a set of "guiding principles" to make participating in community sport more inclusive for transgender people. But Sport NZ ditched the guidelines after direction from the government in July this year, also removing the document from its website. Victor Waters reports.

The head of the Principal's Federation is calling for the government to pay for asbestos testing and clean-ups in schools after a contamination scare with kids play sand. Retail giant Kmart has sold 67,000 units of the potentially asbestos laced sand. It's being recalled along with 4000 unites of other similar products. President of the New Zealand Principals' Federation Leanne Otene spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's hoped rams brains may help researchers better understand the long term consequences of repeated head blows on sports people. Rams, which frequently butt heads, will provide Auckland University's centre for brain research a model population to study. Repeated blows to the head often experienced in contact sport have been found to increase the risk of brain diseases, like CTE and forms of dementia. Auckland University senior research fellow Dr Helen Murray spoke to Lisa Owen.

The government has quietly rejected advice to set a much more ambitious long-term target for New Zealand's carbon emissions. The Climate Change Commission wanted the country to aim for net-negative carbon emissions by 2050 - but the government has decided to stick with the current net-zero target. It's hot off the back of another decision last month to weaken New Zealand's methane target. Climate change reporter Kate Newton spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Keep marlin and reef fish off the menu," That's the message from recreational fishers as the government plans to let commercial fishing companies keep and sell bycatch, that right now can't be used. Fisheries New Zealand is proposing 19 regulation changes, which include dropping protections for marlin and 19 reef-fish species outside the Quota Management System. The changes would mean the dead fish could be sold for profit. Advocates say it's putting a target on Aotearoa's vunerable and slow-growing species and will further diminish our already dwindling public fishery. Bella Craig reports.

One of the most highly anticipated series on the cricket calendar has finally got underway in Perth. The build up to the opening test of the Ashes between England and Australia has been on another level. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

A gruelling all terrain ultra race where you dont find out the exact course until just hours before you launch yourself in the literal wilderness is back after a two year hiatus and a falling out with DOC. This time a new charitable trust is running the infamous Godzone event. Teams of four, with minimal gear, trek, mountain bike, kayak, canoe and packraft up to 650 kilometres, with a maximum of eight days to finish. Former All Black Captain Richie McCaw, is part of the group responsible for ressurecting the race, and he spoke to Lisa Owen.

Asia correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about a suspected mass poisoning at a hostel in Bali that has left one tourist dead, and a number of others hospitalised.

Flipping burgers, stacking shelves and folding clothes, the work that students used to dread, is now becoming a pipe dream for many. Students are applying for record numbers of jobs but there just isn't enough work to go around. With student allowance and loan payments wrapping up for the year some are unsure how they'll survive over the next few months, while others are being forced to move home or even drop out of university in order to stay afloat. Evie Richardson reports.

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about Australia losing out the right to host a major world summit on climate change to Turkey, as well as META warning under 16's they have two weeks to download any data they want to keep before they are booted from the app.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Silver Ferns overcame a stomach bug and the weariness of a long season to seal a series win over the England Roses this morning. The team now leaves Manchester to head in their own directions. When they come back together next year the team environment won't be the same. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

The coalition is in the throes of internal warfare - with Winston Peters and David Seymour slinging barbs over the Regulatory Standards Bill. In a stunning about-face today, Mr Peters has pledged to revoke that law - ACT's brainchild - next term - despite voting it through last week. It has prompted an extraordinary rebuke from David Seymour - who says Mr Peters looks like he's gearing up to jump ship to a Labour coalition. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

Polling has closed in Tonga's national general election which is being conducted amid a massive fuel shortage in the capital. There are 71 candidates vying for a seat in parliament including eight women. More than 64,000 voters are on the electoral roll but the kingdom has struggled with low voter turnout since democratic reforms in 2010. RNZ Pacific senior reporter Teuila Fuatai is in Nuku'alofa and spoke to Lisa Owen.

A move to protect children or state sanctioned harm? The government's upcoming halt on new prescriptions for puberty blockers has provoked strong feelings on both sides of the debate: supporters say it will keep children safe, while critics warn it will cause "profound distress". The Health Minister Simeon Brown says the new settings will take effect in mid-December - and stay in place until the outcome of a major clinical trial in the United Kingdom, expected in 2031. Political reporter Lillian Hanly has more.

It has been revealed Kmart has sold tens of thousands of potentially asbestos laced children's play things. The retail giant confirmed it has sold 67,000 units of coloured children's sand that are now part of massive recall that was expanded even further today. That number doesn't include suspect products sold through different retailers. Some councils have now set up drop-off sites for the recalled products. MBIE's Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin spoke to Lisa Owen.

The equivalent of more than four and half million rubber car tyres have been collected in the first year of a recycle scheme. Tyrewise is governed by a charitable trust and funded by the fee that is charged on the sale of all new regulated tyres in Aotearoa. Tyrewise says a year into scheme illegal dumping of tyres has been slashed along with the number of tyres going to landfill. Adele Rose, CEO of 3R Group that manages the Tyrewise Scheme, spoke to Lisa Owen.

The driver and owner of a dodgy truck with a litany of faults that ploughed into a roadworker on the job has been jailed for three years. Ashik Ali's truck had a non-operation order issued in 2021, and last had a certificate of fitness in 2019. But it was last year when its brakes failed before rolling down a hill and into Johnathon Walters who later died in hospital. Kim Baker Wilson reports.

There are calls for a public awareness and education campaign about domestic violence, after fresh data has revealed its prevalence around the globe. A new report from the World Health Organisation says a quarter of women have experienced intimate partner sexual or domestic violence in their lifetime. Lauren Crimp has more.

The last time the All Blacks lost to Wales there was no Harbour Bridge in Auckland, Elvis Presley hadn't released any music and Queen Elizabeth II was about to make her first visit to New Zealand. The Welsh will need to channel the spirit of 1953 - the year they beat the All Blacks 13-8 - if they want to taste victory once again. But do they have any shot at snapping this seven-decade streak? Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Stone cold killers". That's how Conservation Minister Tama Potaka describes feral cats, which he's just added to the Predator Free 2050's hitlist. It means that feral cats will join the likes of stoats, ferrets, weasels, rats and possums on the official list of pests targeted for total eradication from these shores. This is a sharp change of policy - revealed to exclusively to RNZ by the Minister today. He sat down with Farah Hancock who spoke to Lisa Owen.

US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about a number of US military officials visiting Ukraine to discuss bringing an end to the war with Russia, as well as more twists and turns in the trial of former FBI director James Comey.

Is the mobile phone becoming the dominate side dish during meals out? A top new resturant in London's Mayfair is banning phones in a bid to encourage diners to immerse themselves in the dining and social experience without device distraction. So is it a thing here? Auckland restaurant owner and chef Al Brown spoke to Lisa Owen.

UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the response to a formal espionage alert issued by MI5 and a ban on plastic wet wipes on England shelves coming into force in 2027.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen about the Black Caps vs West Indies suffering another rain delay and the result of the All Whites match against Ecuador.

Some Pike River mine families are still fighting for a corporate manslaughter law 15 years after the diaster that killed 29 men. The deaths lead to the creation of WorkSafe and the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act, which passed with cross-party support. A Royal Commission of Inquiry found New Zealand's old safety laws lacked the teeth, and there were catastrophic failings in the mine company's systems, despite numerous warnings of a potential catastrophe. Now the government is changing the Health and Safety at Work Act to quote "cut through unnecessary red tape" holding businesses back. Nigel Hampton KC spoke to Lisa Owen.

The government has announced an end to emergency housing motels in Rotorua - fulfilling a campaign promise. The minister responsible, Tama Potaka, said it will restore the town's safety, dignity, and confidence. But Labour said all it's done is shift the problem to the streets. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden said she doesn't believe the changes the government is making to Worksafe will lead to another Pike River disaster. Van Velden has been meeting with the families of some of the 29 men who were killed in an explosion at the mine 15 years ago. The Pike Families are calling for more health and safety inspectors, more education, more checks, and a corporate manslaughter law. Political Reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.

A petition calling for a stronger dog control law has put the spotlight back on Northland's, and the nation's, problem with roaming dogs. Dog attack victims say they're too scared to walk to their dairy and even a Northland dog advocate says the problem is completely out of hand and will only get worse as economic hardship deepens. The Mayor of the Far North says the problem is massive. There are only about 8,000 dogs registered on record but Moko Tepania says the true number of dogs in Northland could be as high as 20,000 to 30,000. Peter de Graaf reports.

Rail Minister Winston Peters said the budget for the new Cook Strait ferry project is less than half the cost of the previous Government's ill-fated mega ferry plan, even though the new ferries cost a bit more.The total project cost will be under 2 billion dollars. In making the big announcement in Wellington, he lost no opportunity to stick the boot into the iReX plan, which was scuppered by Finance Minister Nicola Willis in 2023.

A west Auckland primary school has told parents the coloured play sand it's been using is positive for asbestos. It's arranging decontamination and air quality tests. The sand is part of a major recall of mulltiple products. Meanwhile, 23 schools and 12 early learning services around the country are temporarily closed or planning to close. John O'Regan, the Principal of Enner Glynn school in Nelson spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand has slid further down an international climate change league table, with authors now ranking us as 'low-performing'. As a nation, we've tumbled to 44th out of 63 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index, because of what authors say is a continuing roll-back of climate-friendly policies. Climate change correspondent Kate Newton reports.

Melbourne Storm star Eliesa Katoa will miss the 2026 NRL season as he continues his recovery from brain surgery. The 25 year-old copped multiple head knocks while on test duty with Tonga during the Pacific Championships earlier this month. He suffered seizure activity on the sideline and was taken to hospital, where he had surgery on a brain bleed. After a two-week hospital stay in Auckland, the Storm has confirmed Katoa is now back home in Melbourne and under the care of the club's medical team. Sports correspondent Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

Auckland University Professor of Psychology Tony Lambert spoke to Lisa Owen about the science behind anauralia; a condition which means you cannot hear sound in your mind.

Asia correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about the impact a diplomatic row between China and Japan is having on travel between the two nations.