Checkpoint for Friday 26 November 2021

5:08 PM.Back to Bridges, or take off for Christopher Luxon? Phones are running hot as the National Party search for a fourth leader in under two years.

RNZ understands former leader Simon Bridges wants his… Read more Audio

5:10 PM.There's conflict in Christopher Luxon's electorate as to whether the former Air New Zealand high flyer is up for the hardest job in politics.

Some Luxon loyalists told Checkpoint they're not sure… Read more Video, Audio

5:15 PM.Police and the NZ Defence Force will now have to be vaccinated, or be out of a job.

The government has announced they will have to have their first dose by mid-January and be fully vaccinated by the… Read more Audio

5:17 PM.Police and the NZ Defence Force will now have to be vaccinated, or be out of a job.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has told Checkpoint of the police force’s 11,000 staff the number of those… Read more Video, Audio

5:25 PM.The Prime Minister's residence has been attacked and buildings have been torched by rioters in major political unrest in the Solomon Islands.

Australia has sent in police and Defence Force personnel… Read more Video, Audio

5:37 PM.Auckland's CBD could be ghost town long after the traffic lights switch on. Large firms and companies based in the CBD are not expecting many workers will come back to their desks just yet.

That… Read more Video, Audio

5:41 PM.Another day, another high profile resignation at Cycling New Zealand. The organisation's high performance director has handed in his notice after revelations there was a breach of athlete selection… Read more Video, Audio

5:46 PM.Anyone making the trip to Northland this summer is being warned they'll likely be sent home if they get Covid - as the region's resources will be stretched to the limit.

Te Tai Tokerau's bracing for… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.In just one week, vaccine passports will become the new norm. When you enter a bar, a restaurant or go and get your hair cut, you'll need to show you're double vaccinated.

For the vast majority… Read more Audio

5:53 PM.Timaru District Libraries are one step closer to claiming a Guinness World Record.

The challenge? Creating the largest knitted blanket fort on Earth.

They've reached their target of 70,000 peggy… Read more Video, Audio

6:06 PM.There are fears a new Covid variant emerging from South Africa could be more transmissible and deadlier than Delta.

The UK has put six African countries on its travel red list - with some flights… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.DHBs are hoping their best laid plans will be the bedrock for getting through the summer period.

Since Delta arrived in the country, DHBs outside of Auckland have been planning for its arrival at… Read more Audio

6:14 PM.An Auckland dairy owner says he does not feel safe leaving his wife in the shop on her own and believes crime is on the rise in the inner city.

ACT Party leader David Seymour says it's partly because… Read more Audio

6:17 PM.Auckland's months-long Covid-19 lockdown means gay men in Auckland are no longer eligible for subsidised access to a commonly-used safe sex drug. Jake McKee reports. Read more Audio

6:21 PM.The scrapping of Whangārei waterfront development plans have left some relieved and others resentful.

The district council was given $60 million in government funding for the Ōruku Landing conference… Read more Audio