Checkpoint for Wednesday 20 May 2020

5:09 PM.Simon Bridges has called the bluff of his potential challengers, and has called National Party MPs to Parliament for a vote on the leadership midday Friday.

It is still not clear where the votes… Read more Video, Audio

5:19 PM.A man shot and killed in Waitara on Tuesday was still in the driver's seat of a stationary vehicle when he was fatally wounded.

Police say he was attempting to get out of the stolen car and had a… Read more Audio

5:22 PM.Air New Zealand is looking to furlough some of its cabin crew for three years or longer with the incentive of being rehired first, if and when the airline takes off after a massive downturn following… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.An elderly Mangawhai couple could be kicked out of their own home over a long-running rates dispute with Kaipara District Council.

Bruce and Heather Rogan say their quality of life has plummeted as a… Read more Video, Audio

5:40 PM.At least 1,500 jobs are on the line at Fletcher Building - the latest company to undertake significant cost saving measures in the wake of Covid-19.

It took a $55 million pre-tax hit during the… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.Potato lovers are being told the closure of independent grocers during lockdown was to blame for a big spike in spud prices last month.

New figures from Stats NZ show potato prices hit an all-time… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

6:02 PM.A brain-damaged man who died of suspected suicide while in a secure mental health unit should not have been there, and was being treated in a way that did not help his condition, according to a report… Read more Video, Audio

6:09 PM.Late on Wednesday afternoon Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller emailed his caucus colleagues signalling his intent to challenge for the National Party leadership.

It came after current leader Simon Bridges… Read more Video, Audio

6:14 PM.How will the National Party leadership spill play out in Wellington on Friday?

Former National MP Chester Borrows joins Lisa Owen to discuss the prospects. Read more Video, Audio

6:20 PM.The government's Covid Tracing app is being criticised as clunky, too late, and having little benefit on top of what is already out there.

The much anticipated app was released last night and aims to… Read more Video, Audio

6:25 PM."As hard as it is for me to say, I reckon Simon Bridges probably is the one they have to stick with," ex-National MP Jami-Lee Ross told Checkpoint, in discussing the leadership of the National Party.