Checkpoint for Monday 4 August 2025

5:48 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thompson spoke to Lisa Owen about the UK's government looking to introduce harsher punishments for people smugglers, as well as moves to evacuate sick children from… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.A glimpse of a new era in Auckland Transport has been unveiled today. At Britomart Station an updated map gives commuters a preview of the new stations and rail-lines they will use when the… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:30 PM.Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary has been forced to apologise for the actions of a team trainer. Corey Bocking has been labelled a disgrace for disrupting a Titans conversion attempt, costing them a… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.A ward of people at Northshore Hospital that have no medical reason to be there, but can't be discharged because they have nowhere to go for further care is the tip of the iceberg, according the Aged… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.As part of it's overhaul of NCEA, the government has said it plans to work with industry to develop bette vocational pathways for students. Advocacy and stakeholder engagement lead at the Employers… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.After more than 20 years as New Zealand's official secondary-school qualification, the government has pulled the pin on the NCEA. By 2030, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement will be… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.A 27-year-old woman has appeared in court charged with ill-treating a toddler who was found inside a suitcase, stowed under a bus. Oranga Tamariki said the case is "distressing", while locals in… Read more Audio

4:34 PM.The countdown is on for the long -awaited opening of Christchurch's new central city stadium. The 25,000 seat Te Kaha, officially known as One New Zealand Stadium, finally opens in April. But the… Read more Audio

4:28 PM."He's intimidating." Those were the words All Blacks coach Scott Robertson used to describe one of the unexpected bolters who has been named in his squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship. That very… Read more Audio

2:45 PM.Auckland University is building a new AI tool that will give te reo Maori learners real time feed back on their pronunciation. The $1 million project involves language experts, linguists, engineers… Read more Audio

2:15 PM.Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about Israel's controversial far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir has publicly praying at the Al Aqsa Mosque,the most sensitive religious site in… Read more Audio

2:05 PM.The government has announced they are planning to to ditch NCEA and phase in a completely new qualification. NCEA Level One will be abolished and instead students will sit a Foundation Skills test in… Read more Audio