Checkpoint for Thursday 23 February 2017

5:08 PM.Forest & Bird says the new standards for New Zealand waterways allow for a five-fold increase in the chance of getting sick from swimming in rivers. Audio

5:14 PM.The government announced today it wants to make 90% of the country's rivers and lakes swimmably by 2040, but critics say that's meaningless. RNZ political reporter Benedict Collins reports. Audio

5:16 PM.Analysts say Sky will now be forced to adapt and find new ways to distribute its content, after the Commerce Commission declined its merger with Vodafone. Audio

5:22 PM.Police have moved to reassure Whangarei residents that a shooting in the suburb of Kamo last night was not a random act of violence - but linked to gang members. Video, Audio

5:25 PM.Cadbury's owner, Mondelez, was given $55,000 last year and in 2015 for the Cadbury Chocolate Carnival. Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull tells Checkpoint it might apply again, despite its plans to close.  Video, Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:43 PM.The discovery in a nearby solar system has excited astronomers as it could lead to the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Video, Audio

5:51 PM.The Super Rugby season starts tonight, with defending champions the Hurricanes playing the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Saturday. Video, Audio

5:54 PM.More than 1800 of the best kapa haka performers in the world have gathered at Te Matatini in Hastings. Audio

6:08 PM.The Rural General Practice Network understands that under the government's revised standards, the water that New Zealanders can swim in will be riskier in terms of exposure to E-coli. Video, Audio

6:14 PM.Sky TV chief executive John Fellet says the rejection of Sky's proposed merger with Vodafone is bizarre and disappointing. Video, Audio