Checkpoint for Friday 27 October 2017

6:26 PM.Several players have forgone big paydays after defecting from New Zealand and Australia to represent their Pacific heritage ahead of the the Rugby League World Cup this weekend. Audio

6:22 PM.A shortage of veges and wheat are just two of the flow-on effects of unprecedented rain over the winter in many parts of the country. Audio

6:20 PM.Residents in the north of Auckland are divided on plans to bring in a regional fuel tax of ten cents a litre. Jessie Chiang reports. Audio

6:17 PM.The Fire Service is investigating what caused a fire in an Auckland building last night. Audio

6:10 PM.Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says Barnaby Joyce is the best person for the job. A by-election will be held in December. Audio

5:57 PM.Australia no longer has a majority government after Australia's High Court ruled Barnaby Joyce ineligible for office. Sydney Morning Herald's James Massola joins Checkpoint. Audio

5:50 PM.New Zealand actors are welcoming the new government's plans to scrap the so-called 'Hobbit Law' that prevents film workers from collective bargaining. Read more Audio

5:47 PM.Ngapuhi believe the changing of the guard at the Beehive will end what they see as stubborn government support of the Ngapuhi mandated authority Tuhoronuku. Audio

5:29 PM.The New Zealand women's under-17 basketball team has made history in being the country's first women's basketball team to qualify for a World Cup. Audio

5:25 PM.The government will prioritise the revival of Northland's rail network at a cost of up to $800 million, the Minister for Regional Economic Development says. Read more Audio