Checkpoint for Friday 16 October 2020

5:07 PM.It's the final countdown.. the last day of campaiging for political parties - the last chance to win any undecided voters.

At least 1.7 million people have already voted - that's almost half the… Read more Audio

5:10 PM.The Briscoe Group believes it was justified in taking the government wage subsidy but says it's now paid back all $11.5m of it because sales are looking good.

The retail group that also includes… Read more Video, Audio

5:31 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:32 PM.The All Blacks team has been named for the second Bledisloe Cup test at Eden Park and there have been several promotions and demotions, with five changes to the starting XV.

After last week's draw… Read more Video, Audio

5:35 PM.The minor parties have crammed their diaries today to try and snag any remaining undecided voters.

There were ferry rides, fighting words, coffee making and even tears in the final hours of the… Read more Audio

5:39 PM.Front line paramedics want stronger commitments to funding for St John, than those offered by the two women vying to be prime minister. Labour leader Jacinda Ardern and National's Judith Collins were… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.A Taupo man says he heard "horrific" screams at a lakefront spot last night, near the place where a member of the public discovered two bodies this morning.

Mystery surrounds the deaths, with police… Read more Audio

5:51 PM.Some New Zealanders taking advantage of the quarantine-free safe travel zone with New South Wales and the Northern Territory plan on heading straight to other states once they've landed.

But the… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.An Auckland pug has been treated like a thug - with the council seizing it over a missed registration payment and threatening death if the bill wasn't paid within a week.

Owner Semaine Cato was at… Read more Video, Audio

6:08 PM.The latest political poll, from Newshub and Reid Research, has been released a day before the final day of voting. RNZ political editor Jane Patterson joins Lisa Owen in the studio with her analysis.

6:13 PM.Advance voting could crack the two million mark by close of play today.

The Electoral Commission has been crunching the numbers. Total early votes topped 1.74 million yesterday, already half a… Read more Video, Audio

6:21 PM.The New Zealand Defence Force has been fined nearly $300,000 over the death of a navy diver during a training exercise in March last year.

Zachary Christopher Yarwood was found unresponsive on the… Read more Audio

6:23 PM.Hawke's Bay councils say they've got to stop the squabbling over funding to fix coastal erosion.

They're planning to bring in a QC or retired judge to figure out how they can get the money to stop… Read more Audio

6:26 PM.Regional journalism appears to have a golden ticket. The Labour Party is promising to invest in local journalism and revisit the idea of merging TVNZ and RNZ if re-elected for a second term.

Jonathan… Read more Audio