Checkpoint

MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi has been reinstated as a member of Te Pāti Māori, following an interim ruling by a high court judge, and will now attend the party's Annual General Meeting this weekend. Kapa-Kingi was expelled from the party, alongside Takuta Ferris, in early November after a period of internal conflict. The party's co-leaders said the decision had been make in response to "serious breaches" of the party's constitution. Both MPs have fiercely disputed their expulsions, with Kapa-Kingi taking her case to the high court. Political reporter Lillian Hanly spoke to Lisa Owen.

Kmart is walking back some of its product recalls following an asbestos contamination scare with kids play sand products. The retail giant is cancelling it's voluntary recall notice for three products. Kmart has informed the Ministry of Business that testing comissioned by the company confirmed no asbestos was found. However, a recall is still in place for some other products. MBIE's Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Cpalin spoke to Lisa Owen.

A Korean national who was caught in an undercover sting trying to smuggle multiple New Zealand geckos out of the country has been jailed. Gunak Lee's lawyer argued he was a naive mule when he agreed to do it for someone he hadn't even met. Kim Baker Wilson, who was in the Manukau District Court for Lee's sentencing, spoke to Lisa Owen.

Critical public health roles - including in emergency management, pandemic preparedness and Maori health - are on the chopping block at the Ministry of Health, with yet another restructuring under way before Christmas. The Public Service Association says the loss of skills and expertise will leave New Zealand vulnerable, as the risk from disease and natural disasters continues to ramp up. Consultation on the changes closes in just over a fortnight and any changes are expected to be in place by April. Ruth Hill reports.

Finishing touches are getting added to the country's biggest indoor sport and aquatics centre, which opens to the public in central Christchurch in less than a fortnight. The long-delayed $500 million building, Parakiore, has a 50-metre competition pool and five hydroslides, as well as nine sports courts and a High Performance Sport New Zealand training base. It replaces the much-missed QEII park facilities destroyed in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Anna Sargent reports.

The country's fastest man over 100 metres is trading in his black singlet and hopping the ditch. National record holder Eddie Osei-Nketia has officially completed his transfer of allegiance and will now compete for Australia. The 24 year-old last represented New Zealand at the World Athletics Champs in 2022, and broke the New Zealand record in a time of 10.08 seconds. Sports correspondent Dana Johannsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

From a two bedroom apartment that went for just $15,000 to a $35 million seaside mansion, 2025 has seen some pretty remarkable property sales. Latest data from Cotality shows the national median house price sits at $806,551, which is more than 17% below the 2022 peak. Money correspondent Susan Edmunds shared some the years best bargains and biggest blowouts with Lisa Owen.

A Victoria University Professor has sparked a debate over what is acceptable language after she posted on social media saying she ignores emails from students if they use the greeting "hey", as she thinks it is rude. However in a statement Victoria University said "so long as correspondence is not ill-mannered, then an informal tone can be quite acceptable". Plain language and writing trainer Colleen Trolove spoke to Lisa Owen.

At least five children have been taken to hospital with chemical burns after an apparent mix up at a Christchurch childcare centre. Emergency services were called to the centre, in the suburb of Woolston, about quarter past one this afternoon. Samantha Gee was at the childcare centre on Ferry Road and spoke to Lisa Owen.

Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about an unofficial roll out of the country's social media ban beginning today with the tech giant Meta starting to delete accounts held on its platforms. The full social media ban is due to be implemented next week.

News from the business sector, including a market report.

The Black Caps are well in control of the first cricket test against the West Indies in Christchurch, as day three belonged to the kiwis who now have a lead of well over 300. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen.

A blend of former soldiers posted from a range of conflicts, gathered together today to mark the 75th year since their military unit was formed. The 16th Field Regiment was formed to fight in the Korean War - and since 1950 it has served around the world. Today, veterans and their families have remembered their parts in modern history's turbulent times. Jimmy Ellingham reports.

After all the planning and waiting, the Swedish furniture megastore IKEA has opened in Auckland. While hundreds of customers, including the Prime Minister celebrated the much anticipated store opening, the rest of the city was braced for disruption. Traffic management was in full effect, with authorities warning of delays of up to 40-minutes around the motorway. Finn Blackwell got amongst the frenzied crowds and filed this report.

A government decision to reject stronger climate targets is pitiful, and will cost households in the long run, scientists, advocates and opposition politicians say. The coalition today released its response to recommendations from the Climate Change Commission to strengthen New Zealand's 2050 targets for methane and carbon emissions. It rejected them both, saying adopting stronger targets would impact GDP - but critics say today's decision will cost the country far more dearly. Climate Change Correspondent Kate Newton reports.