Checkpoint for Friday 25 June 2021

6:22 PM.The government wants to make hate speech a crime, and ramping up penalties.

It also wants the act of inciting hatred through abusive or threatening speech to be a crime.

But Opposition parties are… Read more Audio

6:16 PM.The governments Covid-19 vaccine roll out plan is facing criticism from taxi drivers who say they should be a priority to get their jab.

Just over one million people have had their first dose of the… Read more Audio

6:13 PM.The Health Ministry is confident the new online covid vaccination booking system can't be infiltrated by hackers.

The Book My Vaccine system will open for those 60 years and older from the end of… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.Sighs of relief all round in Wellington on Friday with the news there's no evidence a Sydney man infected anyone else during his whirlwind tour of the capital on the weekend.

However, health… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.After an 18-month-long hiatus due to Covid-19, the stage production of the Lion King opens at Auckland's Spark Arena tonight.

The production drew criticism earlier this year when more than 100… Read more Audio

5:50 PM.Wellington's inner-city eco-sanctuary, Zealandia, has recorded its first known case of myrtle rust.

The plant disease infects the myrtle family of trees which includes native plants such as… Read more Video, Audio

5:44 PM.A Dunedin school is dropping NCEA level 1 to avoid assessment fatigue, and to allow more flexibility in teaching.

Level 1 is not compulsory, and following a review and consultation with parents, St… Read more Video, Audio

5:40 PM.Warning: This story includes distressing details of domestic violence.

The family of Northland woman Bridget Simmonds held back tears as her former partner was found guilty of her murder today.

… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6260937029001 Video, Audio

5:25 PM.While the Prime Minister visited Papatoetoe this morning, the outlook for many recovering from last weekend's tornado remains grim.

Nearly 100 south Aucklanders remain in emergency housing and there… Read more Video, Audio

5:20 PM.In Miami search and rescue teams continue to trawl through the wreckage of an apartment block, 24 hours after it collapsed.

Part of the 12-storey ocean front apartment tower in Surfside pancaked in… Read more Video, Audio

5:18 PM.There has been another day without new cases of Covid-19 in the Wellington community.

The news seems too good to be true, given the packed itinerary of the Australian tourist who spent the weekend in… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.As Covid-19 case numbers in Fiji continue to climb at record rates - health experts are battling fears over the vaccine on offer.

A staggering 308 new infections were confirmed on Thursday - the… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.Central Sydney is heading into a lockdown, a day after officials declared one wasn't needed.

Twenty-two new cases have been announced in New South Wales today - the sharpest one-day rise during this… Read more Audio

5:09 PM.Some South Island skifields have been flooded with cancellations as quarantine-free travel remains off the cards during most of New South Wales school holidays.

That's after the New Zealand… Read more Audio