RNZ: Checkpoint

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about MPs debating the situation around the BBC in the House of Commons, as well as the so-called "Cryptoqueen" who has been jailed in London over a Bitcoin laundering scheme.

A year on from the Prime Minister's apology, survivors of abuse in care have fired a shot across the bows of the government, telling them their promises were hollow and their actions are failing survivors. At more than 60 events around the country today survivors gathered for a Day of Reflection. Timothy Brown joined more than 100 survivors and supporters in Christchurch and filed this report.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Wellington Phoenix women lost more than half of their attending fans last season. On average the Phoenix had 739 people at their home games at Porirua Park in the 2024/25 A-League Women competition. According to a Professional Footballers Australia report this was 61 percent fewer fans than the previous season and the biggest decline in the 12-team competition. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

Drones with thermal imaging equipment have been checking the flanks of the big burn at Tongariro National Park for hotspots, and Department of Conservation fire crews remain on duty today. At the height of the blaze, FENZ firefighters and DOC crews have been supported by local volunteer who opened marae up to evacuees, helped feed workers and co-ordinate operations. Bubs Smith from Ngati Hikairo ki Tongariro, the guardian hapu, is one of them and spoke to Lisa Owen.

He was once considered a liberal darling and champion of progressive policing, now Andrew Coster's reputation and legacy are in tatters. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

The IPCA report that has found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police has revealed a long police roll of dishonour; staff and senior officers identified only by their ranks, each hidden behind a single letter of the alphabet. The current Commissioner believes collectively their actions amount to a cover up; atrocious behaviour that shows a complete lack of integrity. Yet some of those heavily criticised are still employed, while others have been able to quietly resign. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's fair to say that Gareth Morgan has led a varied life. Now the economist, businessman and philanthropist - turned politician has taken on perhaps his most curious project to date. The 72-year-old has turned his hand to creating a sculpture trail in the hills north of Wellington, with purpose-built works by local and international artists, some of which are bigger than houses. Nick James was given the opportunity to take a tour of the rich lister's unusual property.

Watercare has agreed a compensation deal with oyster farmers left without an income after tens of thousands of litres of sewage spilled into the Mahurangi Harbour contaminating their oyster beds. A fault at Watercare's new Warkworth Wastewater Treatment plant caused the massive sewage overflow. Testing then revealed the harbour's oysters were contaminated, Forcing the oyster farms to shut down for a minimum 28 days. Mahurangi Oyster Association chairperson Lynette Dunn spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Everyone can see now just how bad it was". Those were the words of Police Minister Mark Mitchell who revealed that emails containing allegations about Jevon McSkimming's behaviour were kept from him by former police commissioner Andrew Coster's office. Coster is named in a scathing report by the Independent Police Conduct Authority into former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming. The report found a group of high-ranking police officers failed to properly act on accusations of sexual offending against McSkimming. Kate Green reports.

First there was the "Bomb Squad", now there's the "Pom Squad". The English rugby team has taken inspiration from the Springboks ahead of this weekend's clash against the All Blacks at Twickenham. England has replicated South Africa's infamous tactic of stacking its bench with forwards - a ploy the British media are dubbing as the "Pom Squad". Sports correspondent Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

Illegal dumping teams and street sweepers are busy in North Dunedin with students allegedly tossing a vast array of junk roadside, as they abandon flats and head home for the Summer. Discarded items include old couches, mattresses, desks and countless bags of rubbish. The Dunedin City Council it's the worst it's seen in recent years and extremely disappointing. Otago University Student's Association Vice President Amy Martin has been out helping with the clean-up and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Asia correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about a suspected suicide bomber killing at least a dozen people in Pakistan's capital, as well as Japan's bear troubles continuing with a surge in vehicle collisions.

US based mega store Costco is branching out with a second store in the Auckland region. A 6.5-hectare site in Drury south of Auckland city has been ear marked for the big box store that sells everything from cut price groceries to designer denim. Retired Costco vice president country manager for Australia and New Zealand, Patrick Noone spoke to Lisa Owen.

It was a sunny Canterbury Spring day for this year's New Zealand Trotting Cup, as thousands streamed through the gates at Addington Raceway. It's one of the biggest days on the country's racing calendar, attracting more than 15 thousand people for a flutter, fashion and fun. Keiller MacDuff reports.

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about Australians observing the 50th anniversary of the country's most serious political crisis when an elected Prime Minister was sacked by the the nation's Governor General.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

New Zealand's most successful female doubles tennis player's winning combination has come to an end. Erin Routliffe and her Canadian partner Gaby Dabrowski are breaking up after two and half years together and a couple of grand slam titles. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A scathing report by the police watchdog has found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police including former Commissioner Andrew Coster over how police responded to accusations of sexual assault by former Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming. The allegations arose from an affair between McSkimming and a woman who was a non-sworn police employee at the time. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood spoke to Lisa Owen.

Coalition differences were aired at volume today - with Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters at loggerheads over the prospect of asset sales. The Prime Minister says it's a conversation worth having. The New Zealand First leader says it's a failed economic strategy. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch reports.

The minister responsible for gun law reform is kicking police out of Firearms Safety Authority, in a move she says will help rebuild the trust of law abiding firearms owners. The authority is in charge of licencing gun owners and overseeing the firearms registry. Nicole McKee announced the change as part of re-write of the Arms Act. No sworn officers will be employed within the authority and that includes the CEO. ACT's Nicole McKee spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand's effective ban on military-style semi-automatic firearms has survived the coalition's overhaul of the Arms Act. The government has been rewriting the country's gun laws, as part of National's coalition agreement with the ACT Party. Fears the reforms might liberalise access to semi-automatic guns - used in the March 15 terror attacks - have not materialised. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more.

New figures from ACC show 11 claims for babies or toddlers with carrier related injuries in 2024, more than twice the number the year before. It's prompted renewed calls for the government to introduce official safety standards for baby carriers, wraps and slings. It also follows a rise in social media videos often showing babies snuggly strapped to an adults front, in some cases with their faces and airways obscured. Louise Tanguay, founder of Auckland-based The Sleep Store, spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's likely to be at least a week until some of the key tracks in Tongariro National Park reopen after a wildfire tore through thousands of hectares of land. Prolonged periods of precious rain have been a big help in quelling the huge blaze, but not before it severely disrupted the region's tourism businesses as they head into peak season, and had an as-yet untold impact on the park's flora and fauna. The wet weather has now eased enough for a helicopter to go up to assess the damage, and give us an indication how long it may take to rejuvinate. Robin Martin reports from Waimarino.

It was a big day for racegoers at the New Zealand Trotting Cup meeting at Addington in Christchurch. The Cup, with a purse of $1 million is one of New Zealand racing's pinnacle events. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

US correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about the Senate being on track to end the longest ever government shutdown, as well as the US President has pardoned a number of his allies, including Rudy Giuliani in relation to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

It's a charged issue, electric to be exact and it is catching some riders out. Electric dirt bikes are featuring in a growing number of crashes and cases of illegal riding, according to the police. Western Bay of Plenty police are dealing with about four incidents a week involving electric dirt bikes. The district's road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about BBC director general Tim Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness resigning over a Donald Trump documentary edit.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A group of Wellington students have turned a page on history today, moving some of the last books into the capital's redeveloped central Library. Te Matapihi was forced to close its doors in 2019 when it was deemed earthquake prone but is set to reopen next year, after a spend of $216 million. Nick James reports.

The Black Caps went into the penultimate T20 against the West Indies in Nelson this afternoon with the upper-hand in the five match series. The first three games were all decided in the final over of the game. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

"Dinner or debt"; that's the choice some people receiving the pension say they're forced to make after taking on student loans later in life. One Taupo woman says she's still got a $58,000 student loan, from a business degree two decades ago. Her super's now being docked to pay the debt and she says she's sacrificing the basics just so she can pay for rent and power. It's prompted calls for better guidelines on student loan eligibility and better communication between Inland Revenue and older students. Bella Craig reports.

Te Pāti Māori has severed ties with estranged MPs Mariameno Kapa-Kingi and Tākuta Ferris, after a torrid period of internal conflict. Its national council voted to expel the pair at a hui on Sunday night for what it says are "serious breaches" of its constitution. It's another extraordinary chapter in a conflict that doesn't appear to be over - with the ousted MPs vowing to fight their expulsions. Political reporter Anneke Smith has more. 

Crews fighting the fire at Tongariro National Park are reinforcing containment lines after the blaze burned through more than 2800 hectares. Rain has helped their efforts, along with helicopters and planes water bombing the area. FENZ says the focus is now on hard physical work on the ground. Fire and Emergency Incident Controller Nigel Dravitzki spoke to Lisa Owen. 

A tourist helicoptered out of the Tongariro National Park to avoid the fire burning through the region has described the dramatic moments he realised there was danger in the air. Matthias Gerold was evacuated to Whakapapa village, and was then evacuated from there as the blaze continued. Wet weather has provided hope today for business owners nearby, who worry a long-term closure of the Tongariro Crossing could prove catastrophic for the region. This afternoon emergency services delivered good news, saying there's a significant improvement in conditions and residents are allowed to return to Whakapapa. Jimmy Ellingham filed this report from Waimarino.

A second-half slump wasn't enough to break the All Black's century-long unbeaten streak against Scotland. Despite a strong start, several yellow cards and a Scottish comeback threatened the All Blacks who scraped their way to victory thanks to a match-winning try from super-sub Damian McKenzie. With Scotland in the rear-view, the team's focus turns to this weekend's test against England in Twickenham. Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen.

Blanket bans on pets in rental properties won't be allowed from next month, but there are concerns that landlords will find a work around. Tenants will still need to get their landlords consent to keep a pet at the property, but new rental rules mean from December there has to be a reasonable justification to say no. Andrew Nicol from property investment firm Opes Partners spoke to Lisa Owen.

Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about more information emerging on the atrocities unfolding in Sudan, as well as the fragile ceasfire largely holding in Gaza, bringing more signs of a return to normality.

Traffic control and a shortage of volunteers have officially grounded Santa's sleigh in the small town of Piopio in the Waitomo District. At the Christmas eve parade Santa would normally float in via SH3, however the rising cost of closing the highway and managing traffic means Santa will instead park-up on a side street near the village with other floats. Chair of the Project Pio Pio Trust Melanie Simpson spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about Andrew Mountbatten Windsor being summoned by US Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein case, as well as the manhunt continuing for one of the two prisoners accidentally released from Wandsworth Prison over a week ago.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The second season of the New Zealand derby in the A-League kicks off tomorrow night in Wellington. Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix will again play three times this season - with the Phoenix still chasing their first victory against the northern neighbours. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.