Midday Report

The Minister of Corrections and Police denies that a coalition government plan to introduce military style academies is a crackdown on young offenders.

The first of the pilot boot camps should be operating by the middle of the year and could see dozens of teenage offenders taken away from their community for 12 months.

ACT MP and Children's Minister Karen Chhour spoke to Charlotte Cook.

A former bootcamp inmate is warning the Government should be selective about who they choose for their youth military academies.

Wayne attended the Rangipo Prison Farm corrective training facility in the early 1980s after being convicted of robbery.

Wayne says he stayed in the single bunkrooms, locked each night, for three months. Wayne spoke to Charlotte Cook.

In a huge win for Donald Trump, the US Supreme Court has barred states from disqualifying candidates for running for president, using an anti-insurrection and constitutional clause.

The ruling has come right before one of the biggest days on the US political calendar- Super Tuesday.

This is when 15 states will chose which candidates they want to represent them in the November Presidential Elections.

Niall Stanage is a White House columnist for the American political newspaper and website, The Hill.

He told Worldwatch's Charlie Dreaver, this has all but cemented Trump's fate as the Republican's Presidential candidate.

Congestion charges are set to be firmly back on the agenda for drivers in some of our main centres.

It's been revealed the government is working with Tauranga, Auckland and other councils to come up with a national approach to charging drivers to use roads in and out of cites at peak times.

The plan was disclosed at a Tauranga City Council meeting on Monday where the city's own controversial road pricing idea to combat congestion was scrapped due to the public backlash.

Council commissioner Stephen Sellwood says Tauranga desperately needs to look at alternative ways to fund its roading network.

Sellwood spoke to Charlotte Cook.

A High Court judge has described the murder of Christchurch man Michael McGrath as an execution-style killing.

Justice Eaton made the remarks in sentencing David Benbow to a minimum of 17 years in jail for the murder of his long-time friend, Michael McGrath.

Reporter Rachel Graham spoke to Charlotte Cook.

Orchardists in China have been illegally growing Zespri's SunGold fruit - and now they're using counterfeit Zespri packaging.

Monique Steele has the rural news.

The Black Caps maintain they can still beat Australia despite being overwhelmed in just over three days in the first cricket test in Wellington. 

Stephen Hewson has sports.

A New Zealand tech company is taking the unusual step of appointing a second chief executive to run the business.

Transport technology firm Eroad has appointed David Kenneson, to work alongside Mark Heine as co-chief executive. 

Gyles Beckford has the business news.

The Prime Minister abandoned his Defence Force flight to Melbourne because a 'maintenance fault' was identified with the Boeing 757.

Christopher Luxon ended up flying commercially, and running behind on a tight programme, to a special Australia-ASEAN summit.

Former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp spoke to Charlotte Cook.

The Prime Minister has had to miss bilateral meetings in Australia this morning after a maintenance after the Defence Force plane couldn't take off due to a maintenance fault.

Christopher Luxon was supposed to fly across the ditch early this morning to meet Southeast Asian leaders including the presidents of the Philippines and Indonesia, along with the prime ministers of Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.

After multiple delays he was advised to take a commercial flight to Melbourne instead.

The plane has a history of problems, last year then Prime Minister Chris Hipkins copped criticism for taking a backup plane to China in case the Defence Force plane broke down.

Political reporter Anneke Smith spoke to Charlotte Cook.