Checkpoint

The pressure is mounting on the Associate Health Minister to explain why she slashed tax on heated tobacco products - against officials' advice. The opposition has accused Casey Costello of… Read more Audio

Parents say it's time airlines stopped sending airfare prices sky high during the school holidays so they don't have to take their kids out of school to nab cheaper fares. It's the first week of the… Read more Audio

John Hope Muchirahondo has been found guilty of 17 counts of rape and sexual assault. The 38-year-old Christchurch man has been convicted of raping eight women and sexually assaulting a ninth. He was… Read more Audio

The draw for the new-look Super Rugby Pacific competition has been released with more bye rounds and new home grounds on the schedule.Organisers have put a focus on rivalry match-ups and… Read more Audio

Tasman council is considering a new by-law that would mean all domestic cats have to be desexed, microchipped and on a national register by the time they are six months old.The region's existing cat… Read more Audio

Middle East Correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about the lastest on the ground 2 days on from the wave of Israeli attacks which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and the… Read more Audio

A community leader said Air New Zealand's putting profit ahead of its social responsibility to service the regions after the national carrier confirmed it's canning direct flights from Invercargill to… Read more Audio

Asia correspondent Erin Hale spoke to Lisa Owen about the world's longest-serving death row inmate being acquitted in Japan, China's Ministry of State Security taking to social media to air grievances… Read more Audio

Students and supporters in Auckland, New Plymouth and Christchurch swapped their books for picket signs as they joined the School Strike 4 climate protests today. They're calling for the government to… Read more Audio

News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

Central Otago is creating a strategy to shape its economic future with hopes it may ease the pressures from rapid growth. A recent report suggests more growth is on the horizon with the population… Read more Audio

Dame Noeline Taurua is calling on the Silver Ferns to find their mongrel. A relatively new look New Zealand side will take to the court against England in Auckland on Sunday, the Roses fresh off an… Read more Audio