Checkpoint for Thursday 28 July 2022

5:07 PM.At least a dozen schools across the country have been forced into lockdown or evacuated, after being threatened by phone. Police are investigating after schools in Masterton, Kaikoura, Greymouth… Read more Video, Audio

5:13 PM.Bus services in Auckland are being cancelled at an average rate of almost 1500 a day.

Auckland Transport figures show in July there were some days with almost 2000 cancellations. AT announced today… Read more Video, Audio

5:16 PM.About 41,000 people will be bedding down tonight without adequate access to housing - basically the population of Gisborne. And more than a quarter of people are struggling to make ends meet at the… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 PM.Tom Walsh was brought to tears after being announced as one of the New Zealand flagbearers for tomorrow morning's opening ceremony at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Defending shot put champion… Read more Audio

5:26 PM.A multi-terrace housing development in Auckland's affluent eastern suburbs has hit the skids because it does not fit the leafy single house character of the neighbourhood. Read more Video, Audio

5:37 PM.Cafes are crying out for baristas as the industry faces thousands of vacancies around the country.

And as Louise Ternouth reports, the worker shortage is causing owners to compete at unsustainable… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.Some Otago farmers are preparing for weeks, if not months, of repairs in the wake of this week's floods.

For some areas, much of the water has receded, leaving behind debris and damaged fences. Tess… Read more Video, Audio

5:47 PM.A cardiac surgeon fears patients will die on waiting lists, as operations continue to be delayed.

The Cardiac Society says patients needing urgent procedures are now waiting much longer than normal.

5:51 PM.It's remarkable for a few reasons. Two lucky climbers have been rescued on Double Cone in the Remarkables ranges after narrowly dodging an avalanche and having to dig themselves into a snow cave to… Read more Video, Audio

5:56 PM.Plans to build a riverside conference centre in Whangārei are no longer dead in the water.

Last year the council refused to help pay for the Ōruku Landing project - originally pitched by private… Read more Audio