Checkpoint for Wednesday 24 November 2021

5:07 PM.New Zealand's border restrictions are being eased early next year.

From January 17, fully vaccinated New Zealanders who test negative before departure will be able to travel from Australia without… Read more Video, Audio

5:16 PM.So international travel and family reunions abroad will soon be back on the cards, with most saying the time to bust the international border is well overdue.

Our reporter Nick Truebridge hit the… Read more Audio

5:19 PM.The Reserve Bank is hiking the OCR for the second time in two months. The Official Cash Rate is up by a quarter of a percentage point to 0.75 percent - the highest rate since February last year.

The… Read more Audio

5:22 PM.There is a rāhui on the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk while the iwi that has responsibility over the area tries to get vaccination rates up.

Te Urewera has been closed to visitors since Delta arrived… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.Tourist operators and towns are facing a long dry summer with international visitors still at least five months away.

The government has announced a gradual reopening of the border starting mid… Read more Video, Audio

5:32 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6283494000001 Video, Audio

5:41 PM.Slip, slop, slap and swab could be the new summer checklist as the government prepares to roll out rapid Covid tests in holiday hot spots.

A government pilot of the antigen tests is proving to be a… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.Turn out the lights, the party's over before it even started, in Oamaru at least. The council has cancelled its family friendly New Year's eve "Party at the Gardens" because Covid has apparently made… Read more Video, Audio

5:50 PM.The days are numbered for MIQ for most people, with New Zealanders able to travel home and home isolate from Janaury or February next year, depending on where they're coming from.

But it'll stay in… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.Today's big developments around the border also have implications for New Zealand's leading sports teams and elite athletes.

While the news is good for many of our top international athletes, the… Read more Video, Audio

6:06 PM.The border's slowly winching open but New Zealanders overseas will still have to wait until mid-January to avoid managed isolation on arrival.

All arrivals will require a negative pre-departure test… Read more Audio

6:10 PM.It is thought exporters will be among the first to make use of the scrapping of MIQ - with many desperate to reconnect with overseas markets.

The Employers and Manufacturers Association's head of… Read more Video, Audio

6:16 PM.More Cook Islanders have arrived in New Zealand, leaving family in exchange for financial stability and a new adventure.

Jobs have dried up in Rarotonga due to lack of tourism and many within the… Read more Video, Audio

6:20 PM.Silver Ferns coach Dame Noeline Taurua says there is vaccine hesitancy among some Silver Ferns squad members.

The announcement of a Quad Series in England in January is a big relief as the Silver… Read more Audio