Checkpoint

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the UK assessing its options to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as well as an activist group in the UK which has admitted to a "mass shoplifting campaign" to supply local food banks.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Black Ferns Sevens have secured the World Series title for another year with a fight-back win over Australia in New York today. The victory in the gold medal game extended their winning record this year to 20 games. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

As Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is bestowed with a chiefly title in the Pacific, back home his ministers continue to grapple with New Zealand's response to the war in the Middle East and a potential fuel crisis. Nicola Willis called a media conference to deliver an update this afternoon - and hinted at potential government support should fuel prices continue their climb. Deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Lisa Owen.

Farmers say the skyrocketing price of fuel couldn't have come at a worse possible time. The end of summer marks the beginning of harvest season for arable farmers, a time when they can burn more than double the amount of fuel than any other time of year. The price of brent crude oil is currently around $104 US dollars a barrel, up from around $70 prior to the US and Israel's attacks on Iran. With no way of knowing how long prices will stay so high, or even rise higher, farmers are facing an uncertain future. Evie Richardson reports.

A group of big energy consumers says power prices need to hold steady this winter with businesses already shouldering cost increases driven by war in the Middle East. The Major Electricity Users Group includes Fonterra and meat exporter ANZCO, Woolworths and Datagrid. Together the members account for more than a quarter of New Zealand's energy use. Chair of the Major Electricity Users group, John Harbord spoke to Lisa Owen.

A prolonged war in the Middle East could see inflation in New Zealand hit 3.7 percent in a worse case scenario. The Finance Minister says the government is focused on mitigating the impact of the war on critical supply chains and the New Zealand economy. Nicola Willis said the government was aware the pressure fuel price increases are putting on households, but warned if there was to be any assistance it would be very specific. So should the government step in and help low income families? Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Auckland, Susan St John spoke to Lisa Owen.

A man who has twice been ruled insane after committing two separate killings can now be named. RNZ can reveal the man is Leslie Raymond Parr who killed two people more than two decades apart - beheading his partner Fiona Maulolo in 1997, and then in 2024 fatally stabbing his mother Heather Condon. National Crime Correspondent Sam Sherwood spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand Customs is warning tobacco smuggling is becoming more organised, large scale and sophisticated. Seizures have been trending upwards over the past decade, and officials say they're concerned about a violent black market across the ditch. Ellen O'Dwyer reports.

It was a heated weekend of Super Rugby as new and old rivals went to battle. After three weeks at the top, the Brumbies have slipped to second, usurped by the Hurricanes, while Moana Pasifika languish at the bottom of the ladder. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.