Checkpoint

Major centres around the country are dealing with thousands of tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish. The biggest problems in Auckland where figures obtained by Checkpoint show council workers picked up 1926 tonnes last year. That's the weight of around 154 of the city's electric buses. The clean-up of ratty mattresses, rubbish sacks and old couches - the most common items often left on berms - cost rate payers $3.1 million over 12 months. Teuila Fuatai spent a day seeing how bad things were in Auckland.

There are calls for an independent regulator to police the online world and demand more transparency, accountability and safety. In an open letter to the government, an unlikely group of bedfellows has raised concerns about what it describes as harmful, deceptive, and destabilising activity often enabled or amplified by digital platforms. The National Council of Women, The Banking Association, various media and Arts organisations and academics are among the signatories. Amnesty International signed the letter, campaign director Lisa Woods spoke to Lisa Owen.

Five and a half years after fire swept through Lake Ōhau Village in the Waitaki district, a group of school students have captured one of its remarkable heroes in a new book. Not a local or a firefighter - but a beloved border collie called Hebe, who woke her owners as the first flames leapt around the alpine settlement. Otago Southland reporter Katie Todd has more.

"I am not a hysterical woman who can be shut up," that from Dame Lynda Topp after she let rip at the government over arts funding at last week's music awards. On stage just days after the death of her sister Jools, the surviving Topp twin spoke directly to Paul Goldsmith who was in the audience. Dame Lynda said in the budget, there didn't appear to any money for music but in big letters in the top of the news, $2.1 billion for defence. Dame Lynda Topp is standing by her comments and spoke to Lisa Owen.

All three coalition parties have scrambled to squash any question of the country's nuclear-free policy - after the new Defence Minister appeared to reopen the debate over the weekend. While in Singapore for security talks, Chris Penk told media it would be helpful for New Zealand to have a conversation about its approach to nuclear-powered submarines, given Australia is purchasing some. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch has more.

There's been more revelations about a Fonterra briefing document that made its way to the Beehive ahead of a proposed law change that scuttled a court case involving the dairy giant. This is the briefing document that was handed to a former staffer in the Prime Minister's office. It was regarding a climate activist's case against major emitters. On Tuesday afternoon, a spokesman for the Prime Minister revealed the briefing was also sent by Fonterra to the staffer's private email account. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.

The introduction of hydration breaks at the upcoming Football World Cup in North America could have with some unexpected consequences and the New Zealand 3x3 basketballers are on the back foot at the World Cup. RNZ sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

Plenty of people love to browse a bookstore but what if all the books in the store were about love? The capital's getting a new bookstore, that will focus on romance and romance alone, with reads spanning the ages. Juliet Gengenbach, the owner of Owner of XO Book Co spoke to Lisa Owen.

Florida is suing ChatGPT owner, OpenAI, accusing the company of promoting the AI tool despite being aware of the dangers it posed to minors. The wide-ranging lawsuit also includes allegations that the chatbot played a role in two fatal shootings in the state last year. US correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen.

A quarter of all households are struggling to pay their monthly power bill according to a new Consumer survey and almost as many have missed a payment. 19 percent said they've had to borrow from friends or family to cover the power bill. More than 1900 people took part in the annual survey. Paul Fuge from Consumer spoke to Lisa Owen.