Checkpoint for Wednesday 5 July 2023

6:11 PM.The union representing youth workers says Oranga Tamariki needs to do a better job of protecting the safety of young people in the justice system. Eleven staff have now been stood down at an Oranga… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The National Party has revived its promise to create a new medical school focused on delivering doctors for rural communities. The party had started work on the idea when it was last in government… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.A pair of Palmerston North entrepreneurs have come up with a virtual-reality invention to teach aspiring basketball and netball sharp shooters how to sink the perfect basket. Now, they're working on… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.It's a carpet burn that's left Federated Farmers fuming. The Ministry of Education has contracted a global manufacturer Milliken to supply and install carpet tiles in nearly 800 small and remote… Read more Video, Audio

5:43 PM.Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has gone to lofty heights to urge Aucklanders to get behind the Women's World Cup. The mayor, who admits he loves doing "crazy things", dribbled a ball along the roof of… Read more Video, Audio

5:27 PM.A new report on gangs pours cold water on claims a zero tolerance approach is the best way to deal with the problem. But National is rejecting that, pointing to Western Australia and Queensland's… Read more Video, Audio

5:24 PM.More than 20 New Zealand athletes are all at sea after the cancellation of next month's World Beach Games. The second edition of the Games was to be held in Bali, but the Indonesian city has withdrawn… Read more Video, Audio

5:19 PM.Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says he's still in "complex" negotiations with the government over how they'll split the bill over flood repairs. Wayne Brown was high above Eden Park today promoting the… Read more Video, Audio

5:14 PM.'Significant financial hardship, stress, and emotional strain' The Retirement Commissioner says pensioners caught out during the border closures had major difficulties navigating government bureacracy… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.Yet more Oranga Tamariki staff have been stood down over an alleged fight club at one of its youth justice residence. It follows a video being posted to social media showing two teenage boys attacking… Read more Video, Audio