Checkpoint

New Plymouth has one, Tauranga three and Palmerston North? Well, it's getting a fourth McDonalds. But not everyone is lovin' it. Locals have been debating whether another set of gold arches are necessary, with the construction for a new restaurant underway. Sammy Carter reports.

Two NZ coaches potentially face homicide charges in the Philippines over the tragic deaths last month of two basketball players, who were on a training exercise. Sports reporter Bridget Tunnicliffe spoke to Lisa Owen.

Not everyone is eating up Aotearoa's new Michelin status. One top chef has described the award night as an absolute joke and questioned how some winners were chosen. In a social media post, Chef Jack Crosti applauded those who've worked their butts off. But he's questioning some selections and said it felt like Michelin had resorted to a google search. Crosti spoke to Lisa Owen.

United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about how the US president's finances for last year have been revealed and how the US is trying to kick its way to the next round of the World Cup.

Enormous amounts of packaging waste from the government's school lunch programme is going straight to the dump. An Audit Office report has highlighted high levels of waste in the programme and not just food. The School Lunch Collective provides 200,000 lunches a day, many of them in aluminium trays, with disposable utensils. The report said at the moment waste packaging from 57 percent of the schools goes straight to landfill. Jo Shanks from Ecosolutions works with Northland schools to minimise waste. She spoke to Lisa Owen.

From today Council's are required to take a common sense, risk based approach to temporary traffic management. That should mean less rows of bright orange safety cones. Tranport minister Chris Bishop spoke with Lisa Owen.

An independent watchdog has found the handling of an official information request by the Prime Minister's office was unreasonable. It comes after a court ordered lobbying documents relating to changing climate laws be released. The Prime Minister's accepted the recommendations - including to review the decision, but opposition parties say it still stinks. Political reporter Lillian Hanly has more.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

Mexico and Ecuador's match was dislayed due to weather this afternoon. The oldest player in the NBA, LeBron James, is also making moves. Sports reporter Felicity Reid spoke with Lisa Owen.

Refugees allowed to settle in the UK might have to repay the government £10,000 to cover their own support, while commuters in England grappled with major disruption this week. UK correspondent Grace Thomas spoke with Lisa Owen.