Checkpoint

The Government has been forced to defend its decision to rush legislation through Parliament to harvest some of the tens of thousands of native trees blown over by high winds on the West Coast. Audio

The Labour Party is promising to lift spending on health and education but at the same time run bigger surpluses than the Government unveiled in last month's Budget. Audio

Christchurch ratepayers can expect a seven-point five percent rates increase from next week, after the city council voted in favour of the rise this afternoon. Audio

An agreement to stop dumping treated wastewater in a Rotorua forest has the backing of a former Tuhourangi Trustee, who says it'll help limit the amount of pollution ending up in a famous penny-diving… Read more Audio

About a third of students at a small Raglan school, or 140 children, have been told they must stay home because they are vulnerable to a measles outbreak. Audio

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council who voted today on whether to invest $80 million in the controversial Ruataniwha have failed to reach a definitive conclusion. Audio

Finance workers have been sitting in limbo for six months because of delays in the Government's flagship Health Benefits Limited programme, and a union says some are leaving. Audio

An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

The Whangarei District Council is abandoning its plans for a Hundertwasser Art Centre in the city. Audio

Residents of an entire street in Nelson, Murphy Street, have had to be evacuated after flash flooding. Audio

News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

The Ministry of Education still has no idea if anyone who was on hand when a young boy was stabbed at a South Auckland school yesterday was First Aid qualified. Audio