Checkpoint for Thursday 24 July 2025

5:48 PM.Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about Australia lifting biosecurity controls over American beef imports after they were singled out by US President Donald Trump for… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.After hours of discussion, Auckland Councillors have not voted on banning helicopters in residential areas, and instead supported an amendment that asks for guidance from the Environment Court. The… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:34 PM.Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is back and making more tennis history. Playing her first singles match in 16 months, the 45-year-old became the oldest player to win a tour-level singles… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.The Government has ordered Sport New Zealand to scrap its work on guidelines about the inclusion of transgender people in community sport. New Zealand Rugby said it had been using advice from Sport… Read more Audio

5:24 PM.Under government direction, Sport New Zealand has scrapped guidelines for the inclusion of transgender people in community sport. The removal comes after a review showing the principles did not… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Gumboot Friday has had a green light for its second year of funding but has had its targets increased after meeting the minimum numbers set for its first year. Last year the process by which the… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.Leaving it to the last minute to enrol to vote will become a thing of the past, under sweeping electoral law changes the Government's announced today. The changes mean enrolment will close before the… Read more Audio

4:32 PM.Vanuatu's Climate Change Minister has said the Pacific now has more leverage in climate negotiations after the UN's top court found that countries can be held legally responsible for their greenhouse… Read more Audio

4:28 PM.The Warriors have faced a stern test in their return to the NRLW and their coach is calling for the competition to re-think how travel for the women is managed. The Warriors' only win in the first… Read more Audio

4:23 PM.Boarded up and blocked off - an Auckland city cafe owner is worried for his business after the road it sits on was effectively turned into a cul-de-sac. Hoardings have been placed around the former… Read more Audio

4:13 PM.United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about Donald Trump reportedly being told his name shows up "multiple times" in documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. An article… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.NZ First's spoken about defunding sporting bodies that support trans inclusion - but its 2023 manifesto also spoke about making people healthier by promoting exercise and sport programmes including… Read more Audio