Checkpoint

When the Post-Primary Teachers Association marked the roll at its annual conference in Christchurch today there was a notable absentee - Education Minister Erica Stanford. The excuse she gave for pulling out of a speech this afternoon didn't go down well in a room awash with talk of industrial action, scrapping NCEA, subject changes and teacher shortages. Keiller MacDuff reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The All Blacks' ability to score second half tries, could have a major bearing on whether they hold onto the Bledisloe Cup. The All Blacks host Australia at Eden Park this weekend in the first trans-Tasman test of the year. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

The government's ditching the Holidays act and replacing it with the Employment Leave Act. After 6 months on the job all workers generally qualify for ten sick days a year .. regardless of whether they are part or full time. The new law will mean part time workers accrue sick leave according to how many hours they have actually worked, the same will apply for annual leave. Part-time retail worker Jess Fuller spoke to Lisa Owen about the change.

6000 senior doctors and dentists have today walked off the job, in a 48-hour strike that began at midnight. Union members are taking part in protests across the motu as drawn-out collective agreement negotiations stall. Health Minister Simeon Brown has criticised the strike action, which Health NZ says will affect thousands of patients. It's now taking unprecedented legal action to end the industrial dispute, but the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists says government officials aren't coming to the negotiating table with any meaningful offers. Jessica Hopkins reports.

Some blood cancer patients are a facing a terminal disease prognisis after waiting so long for stem cell transplants their cancer is no longer curable. Piece meal funding and a lack of committment from health officials is to blame according to one specialist. The health minister has conceded the long wait times mean some blood cancer patients are enduring additional rounds of chemotherapy to keep the disease at bay. While others have had to wait so long their only option is palliative care. Director of the Centre for Cancer Research at the University of Auckland School of Medicine Professor Peter Browett spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Tauranga family holidaying in Vietnam are caught up in the travel disruption caused by Typhoon Ragasa. They've spent the past two days trying to figure out how to get home after Cathay Pacific cancelled their flights. Nicki Sunderland spoke to Lisa Owen.

New visa residence pathways for skilled workers has caused a rift between the government coalition, New Zealand First invoking the "agree to disagree" provision over "serious concerns". The Economic Growth and Immigration ministers today announced new visa pathways today, hoping to plug workforce shortages. But New Zealand first leader Winston Peters is refusing to back the policy, saying it will mean New Zealand turns into a stepping stone for people wanting to move to Australia. Giles Dexter reports.

The Foreign Affairs Minister says New Zealand is not about to "jump the gun" on recognising Palestine, despite many others doing just that. Winston Peters sat in on a UN conference on a two state solution in New York earlier today, as a fresh wave of countries moved to recognise a Palestinian state. He says the conflict in Gaza is "a wretched situation" but there are "many more days to go" before he'll outline Cabinet's final position on recognition. Political reporter Anneke Smith is in New York.

Team USA captain Keegan Bradley has defended a plan to pay US players at the Ryder Cup. He argued that the break from tradition will bring the prestigious golf competition into "today's age." Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.