RNZ: Checkpoint

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about the Albanese Government rolling out its new "National Artificial Intelligence Plan" in a bid to encourage innovation and investment in the digital sector while also implementing safeguards for threats posed by the rapidly advancing technology.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Tall Blacks have started their world cup qualification campaign with back-to-back losses to the Australian Boomers. Both games were decided within the last minute of play, but fans missed the crucial moments in last night's nailbiter when the TV feed suddenly switched to different programming. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A suite of decision-makers have been put through their paces at Parliament today - facing questions as part of a jam-packed Scrutiny Week.  In the last half hour, a hearing with the Police Commissioner Richard Chambers just wrapped up - in which he defended police culture in the wake of the Jevon McSkimming scandal. Acting political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.  

Food safety officers have today been at the Christchurch school which yesterday was delivered rotten and stinky meals as part of the Government's school lunch programme. Haeata Community Campus, which covers from year one to 13, received dozens of meals which staff say were covered in mould and smelt rancid. A number of investigations are underway into what went wrong, including by MPI and the supplier Compass. Rachel Graham has more. 

A Lower Hutt mum whose kids' Kmart play sand tested positive for asbestos says she's stressed out and worried about whether she's done enough to make sure her kids and house are safe. Several coloured sand products have been recalled over the contamination scare. Kmart is the main retailer involved and has sold 67,000 units of the potentially asbestos laced sand play sand. Keren Lee, who's sand has tested positive for asbestos, spoke to Lisa Owen. 

A new weapon that aims to destroy invasive yellow hornets and their nests is about to be introduced in Auckland. Advanced tracking technology from the Netherlands has arrived to help Biosecurity New Zealand ramp up its eradication project. It comes as national experts are coming together to try and figure out what kind of threat the hornet poses to the rest of the country. Victor Waters explains.

There is a renewed call for the Minister responsible for animal welfare to be stripped of his portfolio over allegations of an "egregious conflict of interest". Animal rights organisation SAFE believes the Associate Minister for Agriculture, Andrew Hoggard's close personal ties to farming significantly compromise his decision making when it comes to the welfare of animals. The Minister has ditched the previous government's committment to ban farrowing crates for sows from this month. SAFE's Debra Ashton spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Black Caps' Test Championship campiagn has kicked off in Christchurch, with the first of three test matches against the West Indies getting underway this morning. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

The boss of a Southland RSA is not pulling his punches after thieves pinched burial plaques off soldiers graves at an Invercargill cemetery. Police believe they were stolen from the St Johns Cemetery sometime between the 28th of October and November 22nd. The brass plates marked the graves of World War I and World War II veterans and those who served in the Korean war. President of the Awarua RSA, Ian Becker spoke to Lisa Owen.

United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about tensions betwene Venezuela and America ramping up along with concerns over US air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats, as well as Luigi Mangione appearing in court today.

Small busineses are being advised not to panic over the arrival of retail giant IKEA. The 34,000 square metre store is stocked with 7,500 unique products, with forecasts suggesting up to 20,000 shoppers will visit on opening day. Global IKEA sales topped $90 billion New Zealand dollars in 2024. So is this whale of a brand going to consume some smaller businesses? Managing director of business consultants First Retail Group, Chris Wilkinson spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about Chancellor Rachel Reeves rejecting claims that she lied about the UK's finances ahead of the budget announcement, as well as a long-lost painting with an incredible story that has sold at auction in Versailles.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

After nearly 20 years at the top, Football Fern Annalie Longo is hanging up her boots after tomorrow's game against Australia. Longo made her senior debut as a 15-year-old and has played more than 140 times for the Football Ferns including at five World Cups and four Olympic Games. The timing of the midfielder's decision to retire was part of New Zealand Football's planning towards the 2027 Football World Cup. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A spate of youth crime in Christchurch has police urging parents to get in touch if their child is missing in action, so they can avoid becoming a statistic. It peaked in May with 162 young offenders dealt with in just one month in the city. It's remained high since, with police dealing with about a hundred youth offenders a month. Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill spoke to Lisa Owen.

Councils are once again being told to start living within their means and focus on the basics, with the government releasing details of its long-awaited rates cap. Instead of a fixed cap, the government has opted to go with a target band between two and four percent, to be enforced by a regulator. Councils can appeal to go higher, but the government's already warning that would only be for the most exceptional of circumstances. Political reporter Giles Dexter spoke to Lisa Owen. 

IKEA New Zealand's CEO says there will be no chaos as the Swedish retailer opens its first 34,000 square metre store in Auckland this week. In 2024 the Ikea was operating in 60 markets, with annual sales of about $90 billion; raising questions about the impact of the mega retailer will have on smaller buinesses and communities. Already traffic agencies are warning Auckland drivers to expect long waits. Mirja Viinanen, IKEA's Australia & NZ CEO spoke to Lisa Owen.

It's only the first day of summer - but already a code brown is casting an unwanted shadow over Auckland's beaches. Sewage overflows from the weekend's thunderstorms have impacted water quality at beaches across the central city, with swimmers being warned to stay out of the Waitemata or risk a nasty bug. As climate change intensifies and our water infrastructure ages, one ecologist reckons it is only going to get worse. Felix Walton has more.

A Christchurch school says it has been provided with what it believes are contaminated school lunches in a significant health and safety breach. In a social media post Haeata Community Campus said it had recalled all lunches, but some had already been eaten by students. It also asked parents to watch for symptoms of food poisoning. Principal Peggy Burrows spoke to Lisa Owen.

Young people are living on the streets and sleeping in cars, and an Auckland support service says it's getting worse. Kick Back has put out its first State of the Street report and says it's an SOS to the government and the community. Kim Baker Wilson reports. 

New Zealand's first ever IKEA is set to open in Auckland's Mount Wellington this week, with 15 to 20 thousand people expected to roll through the doors. Staff say the stores are packed with 7,500 products and there's traffic management to help with the busy crowds. But traffic agencies have warned Aucklanders to expect long delays, and the presence of the store has raised questions about the impacts on smaller nearby businesses. Reporter Bella Craig managed to get a sneak peek. 

Rugby's ongoing drama with a breakaway competition took another twist over the weekend. R360 had been touted as a 'major disrupter', promising huge salaries and a new franchise-model playing around the world. But details have been scarce on exactly how it would work and when it would even start. Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Northland leader is calling for the popular Kai Iwi lakes to be closed to boaties in the lead up to Christmas because of the threat of a highly invasive pest. The freshwater gold clam, which can clog water ways and compete with native species for food, was found in the Waikato river two years ago. But earlier this month the clams were discovered in New Plymouth's Rotomanu Lake  - the first time they've been confirmed outside of the Waikato River. Ric Parore who is from Te Kuihi and Te Roroa is calling for the lake to be closed to boats and spoke to Lisa Owen.   

Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu asking for a presidential pardon in the numerous corruption cases against him, as well as Syria witnessing its most deadly attack by a foreign nation since its former President was ousted last year.

Has flexible or remote work made work more fun and has the freedom made us happier? The nine to five has changed a lot of recent years; covid forced some business to adapt with working from a home a major shift. But it's not without its challenges, as the lines between work and home have blurred. Auckland University Social Scientist, Barbara Plester has been exploring these questions and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Checkpoint producer Johnny Sutherland Spoke to Lisa Owen about one Kiwi business that doesn't hop on the Black Friday sale bandwagon.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about two prisoners in France escaping by using bed sheets, as well as the UK's Labour government reversing a key promise on workers rights.

The road to the 2027 Basketball World Cup starts for the Tall Blacks against their closest rivals in Hobart tonight. Home and away games against the Australian Boomers begin a qualification process that will stretch 16 months with the end goal being the Tall Blacks attending the World Cup for the eighth time. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

Another day, another public service strike, with 2000 firefighters and 17,000 health workers walking off the job nationwide. For both members of the Professional Firefighters Union and the PSA, it was their second strike action in a month, as battlelines with their employers harden. Industrial conflict over deadlocked contract negotiations in health, education and emergency services has the public sector in limbo, with more than 100,000 people taking action in the last month. Ruth Hill reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The New Zealand Transport Agency has doubled down on its stance that a braking system linked to six deaths is not inherently unsafe. The Coroner determined that these brakes, found in about 70,000 vehicles in New Zealand, could not be relied upon as a sole braking system, because even a well-maintained brake can fail without warning. Despite this, the Transport Agency told Transport Minister Chris Bishop it doesn't accept the coroner's views about the breaks being inherently unsafe. It comes as RNZ can reveal another instance of a cardan shaft brake failing. And further investigations by Louisa Cleave and Jimmy Ellingham have found trucking firms that have long since stopped importing vehicles with cardan shaft parking brakes.

Police say they've busted up a major international crime syndicate trafficking massive amounts of drugs through Auckland Airport. They have arrested eight members of the Brotherhood 28 MC gang, including its president; they face 170 separate offences. Detective Inspector Tom Gollan spoke to Lisa Owen.

The gigantic home retail store IKEA throws open its door next week in Mount Wellington, just off the city's southern motorway and a stone's throw from the Sylvia Park Mall. It's anticipated there will be a stampede of eager shoppers. So much so, Auckland Transport and NZTA are warning there could be 40-minute queues just to exit the motorway at Mount Wellington. Auckland Transport Operation Centre Manager Claire Howard spoke to Lisa Owen.

Riddled with anxiety, no sleep and no answers, some parents are still waiting to hear back from retailers about asbestos-contaminated children's coloured play sand. During the past two weeks there's been rolling recalls of the magic sand used by children and schools across the country, raising concerns about imported children's products. Parents say they're worried about the long-term impacts of exposure and the costs of testing and removal. Bella Craig reports.

It would appear a cost of living crisis could be the perfect time to consider getting a tattoo. That's likely to be on the minds of the between four and six thousand people expected to cram into the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth over the weekend for the New Zealand Tattoo & Art Festival. Taranaki Whanganui reporter Robin Martin buzzed along to check out the preparations.

Two of the biggest names in the Black Caps have backed a proposed T20 franchise competition in New Zealand. A bid by a private consortium to establish a new T20 competition has led to a power struggle over the future shape of the domestic game. But it seems the players are clear where they stand. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

There's been a bit of good news for tenants lately, with more listings to choose from and rents softening. But while they might be more in the driver's seat, there are still rules they have to comply with. Money correspondent Susan Edmunds went through Tenancy Tribunal cases to work out where they're going wrong and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Asia correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about the death toll continuing to rise from the devastating apartment fires in Hong Kong, as well severe weather and flooding across Southeast Asia that has killed dozens.

E-scooters could be on the move into the bike lane if the government has its way. At the moment low powered e-scooters can be ridden on the footpath and also on the road, but not in dedicated cycle lanes. ACC figures show claims for e-scooter injuries have almost doubled in five years. National MP Catherine Wedd, who believes the rules are outdated and dangerous, spoke to Lisa Owen.

Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about officials actively working towards the second phase of the Gaza Ceasefire deal, as well as Pope Leo who is due to visit the Middle East on his first trip out of Italy since taking over.

Millions of dollars have been spent on a new speedway track at Auckland's Waikaraka Park and drivers say it's a win for the racing community. It comes after Auckland Council's controversial decision to end nearly 100 years of speedway racing at Western Springs and move all speedway to Onehunga. Construction has finished up just in time for the first Auckland race of the 2025-2026 speedway season this Saturday. Jessica Hopkins spoke to drivers after they tested out the track for the first time this morning.