Checkpoint for Wednesday 18 September 2024

5:46 PM.South Africa correspondent Elna Schutz spoke to Lisa Owen about drastic measures being taken to aid hunger in Zimbabwe, a new passport soon to be avaliable in Africa and a winner being crowned in… Read more Audio

5:36 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:32 PM.Kiwi MMA fighter, and Ngapuhi Iwi descendant, Aaron Tau fell short in his quest for a UFC contract in Las Vegas, but he went out swinging in thrilling style, sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.The new health tsar is defending his commitment to the role - after revelations he is continuing to work a second job as a university lecturer. The Health NZ commissioner Lester Levy fronted before a… Read more Audio

5:16 PM.Sick New zealanders are missing out top clinical drug trials because Aotearoa is already behind the pack when it comes to funding modern medicines, according some specialists. Many trials require… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.A coroner has found convicted murderer Paul Tainui would have had the traits of a criminal psychopath in 2010 but it wasn't detected when the Parole Board asked for him to be assessed. Tainui, who was… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Soaring power prices and rising labour costs have combined to force the closure of a third mill, taking 72 people's jobs with it. The Japanese owned Oji Fibre Solutions said it had no other option but… Read more Audio

4:47 PM.Plans to restore Wellington's iconic Band Rotunda on Oriental Parade have been ditched. Once a premiere hospitalitality venue, some residents now say it's an eye sore after closing more than a decade… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.The defence of Philip Polkinghorne has pushed one message at the last day of his trial: this man is no killer. The jury in the trial of the former Auckland eye surgeon, accused of murdering his wife… Read more Audio

4:38 PM.One of the new initiatives for this year's Wiki o te Reo Maori is Waha Kōrero - a speech competition aimed at intermediate and advanced speakers. With the winner taking home a $10,000 cash prize and… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.The 2026 Commonwealth Games has been rescued from the brink.The Scottish government announced overnight it's backed a bid for Glasgow to host a scaled-down version of the event - 12 years after the… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.Jetstar is headed to court over claims it misled customers about their rights to compensation for delayed or cancelled flights. The Commerce Commission is filing charges against the budget airline… Read more Audio

4:17 PM.Asia correspondent Erin Hale spoke to Lisa Owen about an American pastor being released after spending 2 decades being held in a Chinese prison, a new Hong Kong law resulting in the first conviction… Read more Audio

4:12 PM.How heavily should employers be monitoring work trips? Visual journalist Reece Baker hit the streets to see what people think. Audio

4:06 PM.An airline's been forced to reinstate a cabin crew member after a tribunal found they wrongly sacked him for breaching the airlines alcohol policy and having sex while on fatigue leave. Dylan Macnish… Read more Audio