Checkpoint for Wednesday 13 April 2022

6:21 PM.As 50 Defence Force troops fly out to Europe, the Defence Minister says it's not out of the question that New Zealand could have boots on the ground in Ukraine in future.

Peeni Henare says currently… Read more Video, Audio

6:14 PM.Water New Zealand says it will take decades, and cost a fortune, to replace aging asbestos pipes carrying our drinking water.

New Zealand has over 88,000 kilometres of water pipes - enough to go up… Read more Audio

6:13 PM.Confirmation of the move to the orange light setting comes as a relief to the country's top netballers - and the sport's administrators. Read more Audio

6:07 PM.At midnight Thursday morning the Covid traffic light flicks from red to orange.

Masks are still a must in many places including shops and on public transport. But schools will be left to make their… Read more Video, Audio

5:56 PM.About 150 Christchurch midwives, mothers and their supporters have marched to St George's Hospital to hand deliver a petition to save its maternity unit from closing.

The petition has been backed by… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.Police believe a rush on ram raids is being driven by young thrill seekers looking for social media content - booze, vapes and cigarettes.

On Monday luxury Queen Street stores Louis Vuitton & Gucci… Read more Video, Audio

5:36 PM.The border's now open to Australians but some traditional tourist towns have some recovering to do, after a bruising couple of years.

The head of Rotorua's economic development agency fears tourists… Read more Video, Audio

5:33 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:27 PM.On the east coast in northern Hawke's Bay, Wairoa has been drenched, and the rain is still falling.

The rain set in as the day dragged on - with locals still recovering from the storm just three… Read more Video, Audio

5:21 PM.If your growing grocery bill induces indigestion, figures out today confirm the biggest jump in food prices in more than a decade.

Proof, the government says, that supermarket super profits need to… Read more Video, Audio

5:18 PM.The arrival gates have been flung open to welcome Australians, who've been able to travel freely to New Zealand for the first time in more than two years.

For some, it was a long awaited family… Read more Video, Audio

5:13 PM.Red Covid restrictions, which meant people had to be seated and separated at a bar or restaurant, are being eased as NZ moves to orange level restrictions.

The whole of New Zealand will move to… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.Is the cost of food giving you a bellyache? Figures released today show prices are up 7.6 percent on the same time last year.

It's the biggest jump in more than a decade. Mortgages will be costing… Read more Video, Audio