Checkpoint

News from the business sector, including a market report.

A new era beckons for the Black Caps. The side is set to kick off a new season, with a new coach, against an old foe. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

A nurse trainer has thrown her support behind student nurse and midwives calling for a law change so they are paid for placements. Australia has just introduced such a change there. Students have said it is not fair that they are doing the same amount of work as qualified staff in order to fill workforce shortage. Tina Smith has over 30 years experience training nurses and has said we risk losing large numbers of talented nurses if something's not done. She spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Locals in the town of Waiuku are sounding the alarm over a narrow, bumpy road that claimed the lives of a woman and two children yesterday afternoon. Concerned residents have said Masters Road is too dangerous and will continue causing accidents until speed limits are enforced. A warning, this report by journalist Felix Walton contains distressing details.

A Rotorua organisation providing sleeping pods for the city's homeless says they're being held back by council insisting that they get consents. The Village of Hope has been set up in a secret location by the group Love Soup, which says it's an effort to give the city's homeless somewhere safe to sleep and to move them away from CBD shop fronts. Rotorua has been grappling with a large homeless population in recent years, and last month a large number of homeless people were trespassed from a makeshift camp in the CBD. It also comes as a controversial programme that uses the city's motels as emergency housing is phased out. Julie King from Love Soup spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Senior Cabinet Minister Chris Bishop has launched a broadside at local government at a conference in Otautahi-Christchurch.The RMA Reform and Infrastructure Minister has said councils are crying out for more from central government, but have stood in the way of growth and been unwilling to cut their own cloth, and New Zealanders are noticing. At the Local Government New Zealand opening day, Chris Bishop also announced the government is halting what it says is pointless council planning work ahead of its major shake-up of resource management laws. Otautahi reporter Timothy Brown was at the conference spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry has announced a half a million dollar support package from government and industry for flood-affected farmers, growers and foresters in the Tasman region. It comes as the district-wide clean up continues, with Mayor Tim King estimating the total repair bill has already exceeded $100 million, alongside a warning more heavy rain is expected in the coming months. Samantha Gee reports.

The naming of a development team to play South Africa later this month has sparked a frenzy of speculation of who's in and who's out of the Black Ferns World Cup squad. Black Ferns XV coach Willie Walker today announced a 28-strong squad for the two game series in Cape Town. But it's the names that are missing that are generating the most discussion. Sports correspondent Dana Johannsen spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

A spike in the number of bikes and cars illegally ripping up parks is being reported across the country. Tauranga, Rotorua and Auckland councils are among those who have said thousands of ratepayer dollars is having to be used to fix sports field and public reserves. The fine for driving on a reserve without permission depends on individual bylaws but is usually up to $800. Police could also charge for dangerous driving, which could be up to $4,500. Auckland Council's General Manager of Parks and Community Facilities Taryn Crewe spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

Asia correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about a big day for trade deals in the region, as well as the man believed to be the world's oldest marathon runner who has died in a hit-and-run, aged 114.