Checkpoint

Formula One driver Liam Lawson's sixth place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix marked a personal milestone as well as one for New Zealand motorsport. Not only was this Lawson's best result of his 22-race F1 career, but it was also New Zealand's best since Chris Amon was fifth in the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Lisa Owen.

A teenager participating in the government's young offender bootcamp pilot has been kicked out of the programme, after appearing in court. The pilot programme wraps up in just a few weeks' time and the Prime Minister is continuing to defend the scheme despite strong opposition. Political reporter Giles Dexter spoke to Lisa Owen.

After a weekend of major flooding, Motueka Valley residents are already being warned to brace for yet another potential deluge later this week. The area has been one of the hardest hit by flooding after the Motueka River burst its banks amid torrential rain on Friday and into Saturday. Nick James reports.

Unemployment is currently at 5.1%, with 156,000 people out of work. As the cost of living crisis continues to ravage discretionary spending, according to Stats NZ food prices have also gone up 4.4% in the past year. Inflation has continued to rise and lower income households have been hit hard. Kiwibank Chief economist Jarrod Kerr spoke to Lisa Owen.

The much hyped weightloss drug Wegovy, also marketed as Ozempic, is expected to be in high demand when it becomes available in New Zealand from tomorrow. But the drug is unfunded so users hoping to shed weight could be paying up to $500 a month. In 2023 Pharmac approved Wegovy, Ozempic to treat type two diabetes. In June this year it was approved for weight loss use. The once a week injection, which suppresses apetite mirrors natural hormones which regulate appetite. Weight loss specialist Doctor Gerard McQuinlan spoke to Lisa Owen.

They are among New Zealand's lowest paid employees. The wages of home and community support workers, who look after the country's elderly, typically max out about $29 an hour. They also use their own vehicles to travel between jobs and, while they're reimbursed for that, it's at an amount significantly less than IRD recommends for personal vehicle use. The issue was part of a pay equity claim by the female dominated workforce, who consider themselves underpaid in comparison to those dominated by men. That's now off the table after the government changed the law last month. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

Four new agencies have been put in charge of determining how Whānau Ora resources are distributed to Maori communities across the country. It's the biggest shake up in the history of Whānau Ora since it was created by the the late Dame Tariana Turia in 2010. One of the new commissioning agencies was launched by Wellington iwi Ngāti Toa at Hongoeka Marae near Porirua this morning. Pokere Paewai reports.

An injury cloud hovers over the All Blacks ahead of the team's first game of the season as Scott Robertson has lost a couple of key players who will sit out the opening test against France this weekend. Sports reporter Jamie Wall spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Marlborough animal rescue has lost all its feed in flood waters which also destroyed farm equipment and shelters as the property was swamped. Te Paranui Animal and Farm Sanctuary near Koromiko is home to about 50 animals. Animals and the volunteers were left sheltering on an island of land surrounded by a moat of flood waters after a raft of wild weather. Now, more heavy rain is expected later in the week. Sanctuary manager Alex Radford spoke to Lisa Owen.

Middle East correspondent Perry Wilton spoke to Lisa Owen about a report into shoots at aid and food distribution sites in Gaza making waves in Israel, as well as a push to establish a ceasefire in Gaza as the fragile truce between Israel and Iran manages to hold.