Checkpoint for Thursday 19 September 2019

5:10 PM.The All Blacks have named their team to play their old foes the Springboks in their Rugby World Cup opener in Tokyo on Saturday.

If you're just joining us, Richie Mo'unga is back at first five - with… Read more Video, Audio

5:15 PM.National leader Simon Bridges travelled to Wanaka today and promised a much-needed birthing unit if his party is elected next year.

Maternity care in Wanaka has come under increased scrutiny since… Read more Video, Audio

5:20 PM.Sanitary pad company, Libra says an advertisement depicting menstrual blood for the first time on prime time TV in Australia was aimed at breaking down taboos around periods - not shocking people.

… Read more Video, Audio

5:32 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:35 PM.Over 250 South Canterbury farmers met with government officials on Thursday to vent their frustrations over the new freshwater policy.

Earlier this month, the government announced its plan to restore… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.The government and Auckland Council are being told they can't just wash their hands of the Ihumātao land dispute.

Mana whenua want the contested land returned, but both the council and the government… Read more Video, Audio

5:50 PM.As submissions close on the government's Abortion Legislation Bill, some parents of children with disabilities say they're concerned the bill will lead to more abortions on the grounds of disability. 

6:10 PM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is looking to take a more hands-off approach to the Ihumātao dispute while she's overseas, saying she expects other ministers to deal with it until she's back in New… Read more Audio

6:15 PM.The government has stepped in to buy Kate Sheppard's former Christchurch home, where the petition demanding womens' voting rights was glued together, 126 years ago.

The villa will become an… Read more Video, Audio

6:22 PM.In an upstairs room at a New Plymouth lifestyle block - with a view across to Mt Taranaki - a scientist is helping colleagues fly drones into volcanic plumes half a world away in Papua New Guinea.

… Read more Video, Audio

6:25 PM.A warning to middle aged Fleetwood Mac fans - if you turn up with a skin full at the gig - it will likely be the most expensive concert you never saw.

Dunedin police say people downing cheap alcohol… Read more Video, Audio