Checkpoint for Wednesday 1 September 2021

5:07 PM.The managed isolation and quarantine system and the health system are feeling the pressure of Covid-19 Delta.

The government has extended its freeze on releasing any new MIQ vouchers, saying… Read more Video, Audio

5:14 PM.New Zealanders overseas have been told by the government to adjust expectations and cancel any summer plans, as MIQ spaces are needed for the under-pressure system.

The government has extended its… Read more Audio

5:18 PM.The government has extended the freeze on releasing any new MIQ vouchers as cases in the Covid-19 Delta outbreak go into quarantine.

In Auckland two hotels normally used for returnees have been or… Read more Video, Audio

5:24 PM.Puppy returns and family births are among the invalid reasons that've been given for crossing Auckland's southern border today.

With Auckland and Northland at alert level 4, and the rest of the… Read more Video, Audio

5:29 PM.A former Air New Zealand flight attendant who is now at the front line of Auckland's Covid-19 vaccination rollout says it's not a career change she ever anticipated, but one she couldn't be more proud… Read more Video, Audio

5:36 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6270424720001 Video, Audio

5:38 PM.Ruined cars, sodden belongings and ripped up gardens. West Aucklanders have been taking stock of what they lost in Monday night's deluge.

Bethells Beach remains cut off because of a washed-out… Read more Video, Audio

5:42 PM.Traffic was brought to a standstill in parts of Wairarapa today as people got their takeaway fix.

Hospitality businesses - large and small - are back offering contactless service for the first day of… Read more Video, Audio

5:45 PM.Some families in Auckland are waiting days for food parcels because of unprecedented demand.

Social service providers say they're dealing with a food crisis that's getting worse, but in South… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.In the wee smalls of the morning in a quiet lab somewhere, the three-millionth Covid-19 nasopharyngeal swab was processed with little fanfare or fuss.

The Delta community outbreak has seen a massive… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.A 15-year-old was among queues of people at the opening of Auckland's first drive-thru vaccination centre at a marae today.

Papakura Marae in the city's south is hoping to vaccinate 500 people a day.

6:08 PM.Auckland DHBs are struggling with the growing number of Delta cases while still caring for other high-needs patients.

The Director General of Health signalled reinforcements are on the way for the… Read more Video, Audio

6:18 PM.Reluctant cooks and coffee fans across the South Island are embracing the shift to Level 3 and return of their favourite takeaways.

Hamburgers, lattes, chips and croissants were all on the menu as… Read more Video, Audio

6:22 PM.Far North landowners have been given the green light to take billions of litres of water from an underground aquifer.

The water, which will mainly be used for avocado orchards, will come out of the… Read more Audio