Checkpoint for Thursday 7 May 2020

6:24 PM.Tourists who dock on the shores of Aotea Great Barrier Island could soon be turned away, with some locals preparing to set up a checkpoint there during alert level 2.

Checkpoint organiser Kelly Klink… Read more Video, Audio

6:23 PM.Professional domestic sport is back on under alert level 2 - but the stands will be empty.

Rules banning mass gatherings will still apply, so fans will have to head to their couches.

Sport and… Read more Audio

6:14 PM.Auckland Council will impose mandatory water restrictions for the first time in more than 25 years as the city faces its worst drought in history.

The past four months have been the driest on record… Read more Audio

6:06 PM.Restaurateur Al Brown is champing at the bit to reopen when New Zealand's Covid-19 level 3 lockdown eases to level 2.

Brown's three Auckland businesses - Depot, Federal Delicatessen and Best Ugly… Read more Video, Audio

5:56 PM.Chow restaurant is a well-known casual dining spot in central Wellington and employs 35 staff.

The booths and tables at Chow can usually seat up to 176 people, but takeaways have kept the business… Read more Video, Audio

5:52 PM.Young Act's former Vice President has labelled the youth wing an unsafe place for women, after her complaints of sexual harassment were ignored.

Ali Gammeter has told RNZ she resigned from her role… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.A Facebook page for Hawke's Bay farmers struggling with severe drought is being credited with saving lives.

The lack of rain, lack of feed and trouble selling, or sending stock to the meat works… Read more Video, Audio

5:42 PM.Thousands of tourism workers have been made redundant as businesses scramble for capital and cut their size.

Many are entering hibernation. This is an industry that previously supported close to… Read more Audio

5:38 PM.A 'staging post' for New Zealand's recovery from Covid-19 - that's how the Finance Minister described Budget 2020 in a speech to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce - given via video link on Thursday.

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

5:26 PM.Courier drivers may be able to argue for better pay, holiday and sick leave and generally better working conditions following a ruling by the Employment Court on Thursday.

The court has found an… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.If level 2 gets the green light, hairdressers, restaurants, domestic travel, gyms, home cleaners and more are all go.

The Reserve Bank estimates the four-and-a-half-week lockdown under level 4 cost… Read more Video, Audio

5:07 PM.New Zealand has been promised a "safer version of normal" under Level Two - as the Prime Minister signals what life might look like when restrictions relax.

The country is on track to drop out of… Read more Audio