Checkpoint for Wednesday 6 October 2021

5:08 PM.Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins told Checkpoint if there is additional risk seen outside existing level 3 boundaries in the next 24 hours - like Kāwhia and Cambridge where two new cases have appeared… Read more Video, Audio

5:18 PM.Despite the government's best efforts to explain Tāmaki Makaurau's road map to level two, confusion reigns supreme amongst Aucklanders.

Checkpoint hit the streets to quiz people on their knowledge of… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 PM.Waiheke and Aotea Great Barrier islands are out of bounds for Aucklanders wanting to get out of the city under eased lockdown restrictions.

Borders are being put in place, meaning only residents and… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.Many parents want to see a mandate for teachers to be vaccinated to be in the classroom with young children who cannot be.

But others think it would be a too heavy-handed approach. The Covid-19… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.One of rugby league's brightest stars has come crashing down to earth.

Almost two years after he was arrested in a police drug sting, Manu Vatuvei has today pleaded guilty to importing… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:40 PM.The gap between Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations has been shortened from six weeks back to three to help pump up the number of fully vaccinated people.

Director of the Malaghan institute and Director of… Read more Video, Audio

5:48 PM.The first phase of the Auckland's journey back to level 2 means early learning centres are back.

They can now accept the children of non-essential workers but they have to operate with bubbles of 10.

5:52 PM.In just under two weeks, all going to plan, students in Auckland will finally head back to the classroom.

But new government guidelines say staff and students in years 9 to 13 are required to wear… Read more Video, Audio

5:56 PM.Taranaki has rolled out "aunties power" as it ramps up efforts to boost the Māori vaccination rate in the province.

Only about 24 percent of Māori in the region are fully vaccinated while the rate… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.Interest rates are going up, as the Reserve Bank hiked its Official Cash Rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.5 percent this afternoon.

It is the first rise in seven years as it moves to… Read more Audio

6:12 PM.The government is defending enlisting gang leaders to help test and vaccinate those caught up in the latest outbreak.

Public health officials have granted exemptions allowing two gang leaders to… Read more Audio

6:16 PM.One of today's 39 new Covid-19 cases has been confirmed in the King Country coastal town of Kāwhia.

The township lies south of Raglan and is not included in the level 3 lockdown area.

Just over 65… Read more Video, Audio

6:21 PM.Church communities are being encouraged to discuss problematic porn use.

Sex Addiction Specialists Aotearoa is a group of fourteen Christian counsellors based around the country, and they are seeing… Read more Audio