Checkpoint

The Black Caps will take on England in the first cricket Test tomorrow in Christchurch without one of their in-form batters. Will Young, who was the player of the series in New Zealand's historic… Read more Audio

The do's and don'ts of hair salon rules are under scrutiny after an MP revealed it's illegal to serve hot drinks in the working part of the salon, but she wants to change that. National's East Coast… Read more Audio

Asia correspondent Erin Hale spoke to Lisa Owen about multiple members of staff at a hostel in Vang Vieng have been detained by Lao authorities after six tourists died from suspected methanol… Read more Audio

The Dunedin City Council is hearing submissions on its local alcohol policy and several submitters say it should include a ban on glass alcohol containers at North Dunedin liquor stores. But others… Read more Audio

Australia correspondent Peter Ryan spoke to Lisa Owen about investgations continuing into a suspected mass methanol poisoning in Laos that killed two Melbourne teenagers. The Australian Federal Police… Read more Audio

Their community was shattered by Cyclone Gabrielle with landslips destroying homes and killing two volunteer firefighters. Now, Muriwai residents are using salvaged materials from unliveable category… Read more Audio

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

The government has ordered an independent review of Sport New Zealand and how it allocates public funds, with one insider saying there is an impression the organisation's strategy has become "a cash… Read more Audio

Is it time to get rid of NCEA Level One? That's the question raised by a damning Education Review Office report on the newly-revised first year of the national school qualification. Education… Read more Audio

"It's just been the worst nightmare," said by a man who has been waiting four and half decades for a memorial to the Erebus crash victims. Earlier plans for a memorial in Auckland's Dove Meyer… Read more Audio

The government has anounced it's spending $30 million on 50 new senior doctors and up to 75 specialist nurses in a bid to fill critical workforce gaps, shortern wait times in line with government… Read more Audio

The former National deputy leader and cabinet minister died after a long battle with cancer. Sir John Key said Ms Kaye's initial breast cancer diagnosis in 2016 was much worse than either of them had… Read more Audio