Checkpoint

UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the response to a formal espionage alert issued by MI5 and a ban on plastic wet wipes on England shelves coming into force in 2027.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen about the Black Caps vs West Indies suffering another rain delay and the result of the All Whites match against Ecuador.

Some Pike River mine families are still fighting for a corporate manslaughter law 15 years after the diaster that killed 29 men. The deaths lead to the creation of WorkSafe and the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act, which passed with cross-party support. A Royal Commission of Inquiry found New Zealand's old safety laws lacked the teeth, and there were catastrophic failings in the mine company's systems, despite numerous warnings of a potential catastrophe. Now the government is changing the Health and Safety at Work Act to quote "cut through unnecessary red tape" holding businesses back. Nigel Hampton KC spoke to Lisa Owen.

The government has announced an end to emergency housing motels in Rotorua - fulfilling a campaign promise. The minister responsible, Tama Potaka, said it will restore the town's safety, dignity, and confidence. But Labour said all it's done is shift the problem to the streets. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more.

Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke Van Velden said she doesn't believe the changes the government is making to Worksafe will lead to another Pike River disaster. Van Velden has been meeting with the families of some of the 29 men who were killed in an explosion at the mine 15 years ago. The Pike Families are calling for more health and safety inspectors, more education, more checks, and a corporate manslaughter law. Political Reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.

A petition calling for a stronger dog control law has put the spotlight back on Northland's, and the nation's, problem with roaming dogs. Dog attack victims say they're too scared to walk to their dairy and even a Northland dog advocate says the problem is completely out of hand and will only get worse as economic hardship deepens. The Mayor of the Far North says the problem is massive. There are only about 8,000 dogs registered on record but Moko Tepania says the true number of dogs in Northland could be as high as 20,000 to 30,000. Peter de Graaf reports.

Rail Minister Winston Peters said the budget for the new Cook Strait ferry project is less than half the cost of the previous Government's ill-fated mega ferry plan, even though the new ferries cost a bit more.The total project cost will be under 2 billion dollars. In making the big announcement in Wellington, he lost no opportunity to stick the boot into the iReX plan, which was scuppered by Finance Minister Nicola Willis in 2023.

A west Auckland primary school has told parents the coloured play sand it's been using is positive for asbestos. It's arranging decontamination and air quality tests. The sand is part of a major recall of mulltiple products. Meanwhile, 23 schools and 12 early learning services around the country are temporarily closed or planning to close. John O'Regan, the Principal of Enner Glynn school in Nelson spoke to Lisa Owen.

New Zealand has slid further down an international climate change league table, with authors now ranking us as 'low-performing'. As a nation, we've tumbled to 44th out of 63 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index, because of what authors say is a continuing roll-back of climate-friendly policies. Climate change correspondent Kate Newton reports.