Checkpoint for Wednesday 31 August 2022

5:07 PM.In a remarkable backdown, the Government has dumped its plan to put GST on KiwiSaver fees - not even 24 hours since the proposal was released.

Ministers were caught off-guard by the fierce backlash… Read more Video, Audio

5:15 PM.Kawerau's mayor says if an industrial dispute involving 145 mill workers isn't resolved fast, the town will be absolutely devastated.

The union members have been locked out of the paper mill for… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.Another Black Caps player has quit the side - Colin de Grandhomme has opted to jump the ditch to play in Australia's Big Bash League.

The all rounder was a surprise inclusion in the Adelaide side… Read more Video, Audio

5:26 PM.Australian teenagers as young as 13 should be used to fill massive labour shortages, according to a retail industry body.

At the moment, different states have different rules about what age is… Read more Video, Audio

5:34 PM.Auckland CBD could soon be a safe haven for homeless at risk of overdosing, but some are unconvinced an overdose prevention centre will make a difference.

The Drug Foundation unveiled the plan at the… Read more Video, Audio

5:42 PM.Warning: Story contains content that some listeners might find upsetting.

A court has heard distressing testimony from a former Gloriavale woman who says her treatment at the secretive Christian… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.Dramatic scenes inside Christchurch District Court this morning when two far-right activists had to be dragged into the dock by police.

Co-owners of the far-right Counterspin platform, Kelvyn Alp and… Read more Video, Audio

5:48 PM.Community midwives say today's legal action against the Ministry of Health is a "last resort" after seven years of broken promises.

The College of Midwives has filed a class action in the High Court… Read more Audio

5:51 PM.Rounding up South Island farmers to take on apprentice shepherds is proving a bit of challenge for a charitable training trust.

Grower future farmers needs spots for school leavers, who get two years… Read more Video, Audio

5:56 PM.Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union has died in Moscow at the age of 91.

He was a titan on the world stage - a young reformer who wowed the west with his promises to… Read more Audio