Checkpoint

Police are seeing more incidents involving drivers who've been huffing nitrous oxide or nangs, that can cause black outs and dizziness. They say the risks are "clear and grave". It is illegal to sell nitrous oxide for huffing, but a Checkpoint investigation's found stores are selling large cannisters of the gas that contain hundreds of hits, with virtually no questions asked. Now police are planning to target retailers. Assistant Commissioner of Road policing, Tusha Penny spoke to Lisa Owen.

Air New Zealand could be in for a hard landing, as the CEO carries out a strategic review in the face of rising costs and falling profits. The national carrier posted a $40 million loss for the six months ended December. That's compared to a $106 million profit for the same period the year before. It is still blaming severe disruption caused by delays to unscheduled engine maintenance grounding up to eight planes, plus fuel and operating costs. Air New Zealand chief executive Nikhil Ravishankar spoke to Lisa Owen.

Child poverty activists say families are having to make impossible decisions and go without life's essentials following the release of new Stats New Zealand data. The agency says one in seven kids are living in material hardship according to research conducted between July 2024 and June last year. The government says reducing child poverty is a priority and that they are making changes to improve the lives of families. Nick James reports.

All motorists know what it's like learning to drive - the endless attempts to parallel park, the grinding gears, the lurches and the stalls. Now one instructor reckons he's found a way to confine those teeth-clenching experiences to the past, with his virtually reality programme that can help teach you to drive without even getting into a car. Ashley Gore is already running his VR lessons in Auckland and Napier, and he's hoping to expand his virtual driving school across the country. Evie Richardson reports.

The Wellington Phoenix and Chris Greenacre have been loyal to each other for nearly two decades. This week the A-League club turned to the former player and reserve team coach to get them out of a jam. Greenacre will coach the team for a fourth stint, and he says this time is different. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A kiwi nurse, who has launched an app to help decipher what is in packaged food, wants more honesty and transparency around ingredients. Kaiwise allows shoppers to scan the bar code on packaged items and get an analysis of the contents, it then grades the products using a health traffic light system. Kaiwise founder Peter Bird spoke to Lisa Owen.

United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen a clash between Cuba's coastguard and a US-registered speedboat that resulted in the deaths of four people, as well as reports that the Department of Justice withheld records related to accusations against Donald Trump in the Epstein files.

Are New Zealanders generally ill mannered, impatient, and sometimes just plain obnoxious when they get behind the wheel of car? The government is looking to change a collection of road rules, including a mandatory passing gap for motorists overtaking cyclists or horse riders, and a requirement for drivers travelling under 60 km/h to give way to buses pulling out of the bus stop. AA's chief policy and advocacy officer Simon Douglas spoke to Lisa Owen.

United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about British MPs backing the release of documents relating to Andrews appointment as a trade envoy back in 2001, as well as a medical breakthrough for women born with MRKH syndrome.

An estimated 15-thousand Southlanders could be drinking water polluted by nitrates according to a new report. The report exposed the increasing contamination in the region's groundwater, which has coincided with a dairy boom. It's prompted a call from Greenpeace for the declaration of a regional nitrate emergency, although Federated Farmers says this is an over-reaction.