Checkpoint

Thousands of Palestinians have started evacuating their homes ahead of planned Israeli military take over of Gaza city. Israel's plan to seize the City was approved this month by the security cabinet. A ceasefire proposal has been out forward by Eygpt and Qatar, but Israel has said it wont agree to it unless all 50 hostages captured in October 2023 are released in one go. The Israeli military has begun warning international organsations in Northern Gaza to plan for mass evacuations. Save The Children's Head of Operations in Gaza, Joel Onyeke spoke to Lisa Owen.

The sale of Fonterra's consumer business to global dairy giant Lactalis could put hundreds of thousands of dollars into kiwi farmers' accounts. But it's unlikely to affect consumers' hip pockets. The $3.8 billion sale includes major brands such as Mainland and Anchor - and also processing operations in Australia and Sri Lanka. Alexa Cook reports.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

New techonology is going to allow emergency services rapid access to cell phone location information in life threatening situations. Up until now it's been a manual process, with emergency services having to request information about a mobile phone's where about from telco, the process taking some time. But the new system is raising questions around privacy. National Operations Manager for Emergency Communications, Mike Higgie spoke to Lisa Owen.

The chances of the government securing a lower US tariff rate for exports are looking slim to none. US President Donald Trump revised tariff rates in August, lifting New Zealand's from 10% to 15%. Minister Todd McClay was in Washington DC this week, arguing it unfairly penalises local exporters for what is a small trade deficit. But his efforts appear to have disappeared. Political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Lisa Owen.

Residents at the Radius Hampton Court rest home in Hawke's Bay's Taradale, eagerly await the visits of Cleo the dog each week. But they may be about to lose touch with their canine companion. As revealed on Checkpoint, St John is planning on cutting a raft of community programmes from June next year, including its hospital volunteer service, and pet visits to rest homes and schools. Jimmy Ellingham joined Cleo and her volunteer minder Sarah on their latest visit.

Residents at the Radius Hampton Court rest home in Hawke's Bay's Taradale, eagerly await the visits of Cleo the dog each week. But they may be about to lose touch with their canine companion. As revealed on Checkpoint, St John is planning on cutting a raft of community programmes from June next year, including its hospital volunteer service, and pet visits to rest homes and schools. Jimmy Ellingham joined Cleo and her volunteer minder Sarah on their latest visit.

Another big weekend of rugby is on the horizon. The All Blacks take on Argentina in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning and there's another huge match in Cape Town where the resurgent Wallabies meet the wounded Springboks. Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen.

This week the Reserve Bank cut wholesale interest rates, by a quarter of a percent, which caused relief for some. But are borrowers reaping all the rewards from the cut? After the drop was anounced on Wednesday, there were a flurry of rates changes , but some have gone down further than others. To explain why, money corresponent Susan Edmunds spoke to Lisa Owen.

Feeling a bit lost, need a sense of direction, the old school answer to that problem could be a map. The rise of virtual maps and apps that pinpoint your exact location via your phone means it is now almost impossible to get lost and the real world map has become a bit of fading rockstar. But not for Murray Jones, who has owned The Map and Chart shop, one the few remaining specialist map shop in the country for the past 30 years. Murray Jones spoke to Lisa Owen.