Checkpoint

Climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest from sea level 12 times sounds beyond human possibility in itself - let alone doing it in 29 days. But that is what Christchurch-born Sophie Woods has done over in Europe, becoming the fastest person ever to run the 2000km Via Alpina. To break the record, Woods was up at 3am daily and running up to 19 hours a day. Sophie Woods spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

An inquest into the death of Auckland health manager Pauline Hanna came to a temporary halt today after her husband Philip Polkinghorne broke down in tears. The inquest got underway this week, two years after a jury found Dr Polkinghorne not guilty of murdering her. At the Coroner's Court in Auckland, Coroner Tania Tetitaha is trying to determine how Ms Hanna died and the circumstances surrounding it. Jessica Hopkins reports.

It has been an uncharacteristically white day in Wellington as snow dusted the capital. Further south the polar blast touched down too, with snow and ice causing treacherous road conditions and closing schools in Dunedin. The cold snap is set to continue over the next few days, with police warning drivers about black ice in sub-zero temperatures. Samantha Gee reports.

Snow on the road across Canterbury might further deepen a problem residents have been reporting to local councils. Christchurch City Council has received reports of more than 3,500 potholes over the last year. Selwyn District recorded over 7000. It comes after earlier this year, Transport Minister Chris Bishop said 98 percent of potholes across the country's state highways were being fixed within 24 hours. Dr Daniel van der Walt from the University of Canterbury Civil and Environmental Engineering department spoke to Melissa Chan Green.

Winston Peters is not apologising for his comments towards a Green MP last week - comments that politicians across the House, including the Prime Minister, have said are racist. Christopher Luxon says there's an election coming, and people can have their say then. Labour's response? Fire him, and let's go to the polls now. Political reporter Giles Dexter has more. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Melissa Chan-Green and gave his analysis.

A long-time Breakers fan is the club's latest addition to their coaching staff. Josiah Maama has had a rapid rise through the basketball coaching ranks and after a stint in the NBA Summer League he's back in Auckland. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

AA Research suggests the majority of drivers wouldn't score more than 70 percent in a basic road rules test. The survey of 535 licenced drivers also found that people who had been driving for more than four decades scored the same as those who had their licence for just a year. It's prompted the association to call for optional knowledge refreshers when licenses are renewed. AA Research and Road Safety Manager Dylan Thomsen spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

US correspondent, Zach Montellaro spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about the US President saying it's "the last chance" as new negotiations with Iran get underway. It comes after a round of US military strikes were called off over the weekend to help reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Despite claims of fresh talks, doubt continues to be cast over whether they're actually happening.

The University of Otago wants to increase the number of students attending its lectures, and it's trialling special attendance tracking technology. The University doesn't have an over-arching policy on lecture attendance, however class numbers are under the spotlight after failing to return to pre-covid levels. Other Universities have tried in the past to set mandatory attendance levels for specific courses, but in the case of Victoria University this was met with pushback and dropped. Otago University Students Association President, Daniel Leamy spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.

The polar blast is hitting much of the country - brining a rare flurry of snow for the capital this afternoon and MetService says there's more to come, with even Northland in line for frost. Widespread snow further south has closed roads and schools in Dunedin, while temperatures are still yet to drop. John Law from MetService spoke to Melissa Chan-Green.