Checkpoint

There was milk, Turkish Delight, and talk of the price of mince as National's Christopher Luxon and Labour's Chris Hipkins tried to win over business owners, less than two months out from the election. With Parliament on break, the two party leaders took to the streets to campaign early for the election. Jessica Hopkins reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The All Blacks continue their journey in America this weekend with the fourth and final test match in the Greatest Rivalry tour against South Africa in Baltimore. It's been 10 months since the All Blacks were last stateside and a lot has changed since then. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

One university student's love for the Takahe is so deep that he is on a mission to get it voted supreme winner in the hotly contested Bird of the Year. Sam McGee has self-funded, filmed and produced a short movie about the threatened species to bolster its election campaign. Sam McGee spoke to Lisa Owen.

A multi-national company is seeking to fast track plans to prolong the life of its Otago gold mine for the next decade. OceanaGold's fast-track application wants to expand the existing open pit and underground areas at Macraes mine, revisit previously mined ground and process stockpiled low-grade ore. The company says the extension will produce about 130-thousand ounces of gold a year and support hundreds of jobs, but Forest and Bird has concerns. Tess Brunton has more.

Grey Power wants assurances there will be no more MSD botch ups, following a report into winter energy payments being wrongly suspended. An MSD review has revealed more than 16,000 pensioners were affected by the mistake. Grey Power National President, David Marshall spoke to Lisa Owen.

A convicted murderer has revealed how he and another man accused of the killings shot two people in their Auckland home. Lok Fung Lorrence Li has admitted manslaughter charges but pleaded not guilty to murdering Fu-Fu Joseph Kwok and his wife Mei Han Chong in 2023. Finn Blackwell reports.

A decapitated dolphin has washed up in the Coromandel, and DOC investigators want to know how it happened. The grisly find at Pauanui Beach was reported on Monday. The animal is believed to be a bottlenose dolphin - which is a protected species under the Marine Mammals Act. DOC Principal Investigations Officer Hayden Loper spoke to Lisa Owen.

Another early morning finish at the US Tennis Open has put grand slam scheduling under the spotlight again. But others argue marathon matches provide peak drama. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

Vape store number four has arrived near the small, far north town of Awanui and some residents are not happy. The town only has a population of about 420 and the wider region has about 2500 residents. Resident Brian Joyce has been leading a protest outside the store, and spoke to Lisa Owen.