Checkpoint for Tuesday 14 December 2021

5:07 PM.The government shelled out $37 million for private rentals to house the homeless, but is being slammed for having no checks on whether homes were suitable or worth the massive price tags.

A scathing… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.For the first time in four months, Aucklanders will finally get the chance to head south when the city's border opens tomorrow.

It's likely to be a day of busy airports, tearful reunions and a little… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.From 11:59pm Tuesday Auckland's Covid border is reopening, allowing people to travel north and south, to and from the region.

Police and Te Tai Tokerau Border Control will be staffing two checkpoints… Read more Video, Audio

5:25 PM.Grounded Kiwis are hoping their calls for changes to MIQ take flight and the threat of Omicron does not cause delays.

A petition with almost 23,000 signatures has been delivered to Parliament asking… Read more Video, Audio

5:37 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6286715541001 Video, Audio

5:42 PM.Covid vaccination status is proving a divisive topic around Aotearoa as the Christmas break approaches.

Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon says tension around Covid-19 is reaching boiling point… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.Christchurch airport is bracing for a huge influx of Aucklanders as the city's residents are freed after more than 100 days locked down. And for those struggling with the crowds and the extra anxiety… Read more Video, Audio

5:50 PM.The All Blacks will add an old foe to their brains trust for next season with former Ireland coach Joe Schmidt joining as an independent selector.

After a dismal showing against teams from the… Read more Audio

5:53 PM.Māori now make up half of all cases in the Delta outbreak, despite making up just 16 percent of the population.

And for two days in a row, there have been no new cases among Pākehā - something Māori… Read more Audio

6:06 PM.The Police Minister lashed out at National's Nicola Willis in Parliament on Tuesday after a range of questions over crime in emergency housing.

Poto Williams was defending a response she gave back in… Read more Audio

6:10 PM.Northland has locked in a summer in the red zone, with gathering limits set to stay in place across the rohe.

For businesses, it's another burn on top of being cut off from much of the country, with… Read more Video, Audio

6:15 PM.Everyone has heard about how soul-destroyingly difficult it is to get on the property ladder. But one Californian has found her way into home ownership, starting with a bobby pin. Demi Skipper, 29… Read more Video, Audio