Checkpoint for Friday 6 December 2019

5:09 PM.He was 'stupid and dumb'. Cabinet Minister Kris Faafoi has refused to resign but he has said sorry to the Prime Minister on Friday afternoon over his poor handling of a family friend's immigration… Read more Audio

5:14 PM.Two days of national shut-down in Samoa are coming to a close and over 100 vaccination vans are returning to Apia - many from remote villages.

Almost everyone has been staying at home, under… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.More pressure is being heaped on Pharmac over its brand switch of epilepsy drugs.

The Chief Coroner has announced she is launching an investigation into four deaths linked to Logem - a brand of… Read more Video, Audio

5:27 PM.Barriers and sand bags are going up in Wanaka as residents and council staff brace for flooding.

Gradually rising water levels are yet to reach the main street, but locals say it's only a matter of… Read more Video, Audio

5:33 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:40 PM.The small Otago township of Kurow is in shock after a well-known local was shot dead during a confrontation with armed police on Thursday night.

Police were called to the home of the man, whose name… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.In the United States the war of words in Washington DC is reaching fever pitch as Democrats push forward with impeachment charges against President Donald Trump.

There are allegations of nervous… Read more Video, Audio

5:51 PM.Scientists are trying to get ahead of the game and discover how concussions and repeated injuries affect the human brain in sport.

New Zealand's only 'brain bank' is asking rugby players and boxers… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.Visitors to Te Papa will have the chance to immerse themselves in the psychedelic multi-verse of Alice's Wonderland with the opening of a new exhibition.

The interactive experience celebrates the… Read more Video, Audio

6:08 PM.Cabinet minister Kris Faafoi says he's said some dumb things - but did not do the wrong thing in his dealings with Jason Kerrison over an immigration case.

The lead singer of the band OPSHOP… Read more Video, Audio

6:11 PM.A doctor who has been on the front line of Samoa's measles epidemic believes infectious diseases and poor vaccination rates pose a greater challenge to the world then terrorism.

Hawaii's Lt Governor… Read more Video, Audio

6:22 PM.Mums-to-be in a Bay of Plenty town say it's unfair to close their only birthing centre at short notice.

The District Health Board has closed the Opotiki Primary Maternity Unit for four months until… Read more Video, Audio

6:25 PM.Aucklanders' potato peels and apple cores are destined for greater things with the council rolling out a city wide composting scheme that will see food scraps recycled into useful stuf,; like heat and… Read more Video, Audio