Checkpoint

The mother of a Canterbury baby who died from catastrophic head injuries in 2014 insists she did not hurt her son, despite inconsistencies in her account of what happened that morning. Soul Turany was less than four months old when he died in 2014. His mother's former partner has been giving evidence at the inquest, Timothy Brown reports.

Andrew Maaka was last seen at a West Auckland gang headquarters 35 years ago, police believe he's dead and today they revealed they're looking for his killer, again. They made the announcement outside the Head Hunters gang pad in Henderson. More than three decades ago, Andrew Maaka was a prospect for the Head Hunters, the West Chapter. He'd been at party gang pad before he disappeared, no one has seen or heard from him since. Detective Inspector Callum McNeill spoke to Lisa Owen.

Air New Zealand's taking a massive financial hit off the back of soaring fuel costs. It's on track for a full year loss of up to $400 million, full year pre-tax loss. The national carrier's forecasting fuel price increases of more than 30 percent for the second half of the year, driven by war in the Middle East. Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar spoke to Lisa Owen.

Families who've lost a child say new funding from the government for paediatric palliative care will mean others won't have to do it alone. This morning, health minister Simeon Brown announced 15-and-a-half million dollars from Budget 2026 for two dedicated specialist teams in the North and South islands. Health correspondent Kate Green reports.

Fourteen months ago the All Whites booked their ticket to the Football World Cup for just the third time in jubilant scenes at Eden Park. Today, in those same changing rooms where they celebrated last March, the names of the 26 men who will represent the fern at the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico were revealed. Lisa Owen spoke to sports reporter Felicity Reid who was at the squad announcement.

Don't kill off funding for arts and culture, that's the message a jazz funeral band's delivered to Wellington City Council today, along with a petition asking it to rethink budget cuts. The council's looking at slashing more than $400,000 of funding that goes to arts and events grants and venue subsidies. Arts Wellington is one of the advocacy groups behind the petition, co-chair Kirsten Mason spoke to Lisa Owen.

"It's an honour to be your friend." That from the US president to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at a high stakes meeting in Beijing today. It's part of a two-day summit involving both leaders and marks the first presidential visit to China in almost a decade. Washington DC correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen.

Kiwbanks own bosses believe the bank needs to grow if it wants go toe-to-toe with the big-four Australian banks. Minister, Simeon Brown has asked them to look at ways to do that; including a potential public listing. David Cunningham is the former chief executive of the Co-operative Bank and now runs mortgage brokerage company Squirrel. He spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Grace Thomas spoke to Lisa Owen about how British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to hang on for another day and how Te Ariki-nui Kuini Nga Wai hono i te po, the Maori Queen, has met Prince William at Windsor Castle during her trip to the United Kingdom. She also spoke about how the Eurovision semi-finals have kicked off in Vienna, despite controversy over Israel's participation.

A Reserve Bank survey indicates inflation expectations are on the rise. And small aged-care service providers remain under pressure, while big operators appear to be doing well. Business reporter Nona Pelletier spoke to Lisa Owen.