Checkpoint for Friday 20 December 2019

5:08 PM.There's more pressure on Pharmac with another death possibly linked to the drug-funding agency's decision to switch brands of epilepsy drugs.

It is the fifth fatality reported to the Centre for… Read more Video, Audio

5:16 PM.A Palestinian refugee who says he was targeted in Mt Eden prison after the Christchurch shootings fears asylum seekers will die behind bars if the government doesn't do more to keep them safe.

Walid… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 PM.It could be the new year before people are able to safely swim in parts of Wellington Harbour, after a burst pipe sent large amounts of wastewater and raw sewage into the sea.

Millions of litres of… Read more Video, Audio

5:25 PM.The missing Whakaari tour guide Hayden Marshall-Inman died a hero, giving his life to save others, according to the helicopter pilots who were first on the island to rescue survivors.

The bodies of… Read more Audio

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

5:37 PM.Stinging criticism has forced the Australian Prime Minister to cut short a holiday in Hawaii, as rampant bushfires swallow up large chunks of New South Wales.

Scott Morrison's return follows the… Read more Video, Audio

5:47 PM.The death toll from Samoa's measles epidemic has risen to 73, as a state of emergency is extended in the country.

As medical staff continue to work around the clock, and the country welcomes… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.Convicted murderer Mark Lundy is being described as a gutless man, who needs to stop wasting court time and resources.

Today, the Supreme Court dismissed Lundy's latest appeal against his conviction.

6:09 PM.The countdown is on for gun owners to hand in their now banned firearms.

The government's buy-back scheme runs out at midnight Friday - but gun owners will have to get an event before 8pm or before… Read more Audio

6:17 PM.Federal MP for Macquire Susan Templeman says her community of the Blue Mountains and Hawkesbury is surrounded by three fires and Saturday is expected to bring weather conditions that will only fan the… Read more Video, Audio

6:25 PM.It is one of the only places in the world where seeing rare marine life is guaranteed, but the Department of Conservation is worried rule-breakers will put marine reserves off Banks Peninsula at risk.