Checkpoint for Tuesday 17 February 2026

5:47 PM.Australia correspondent Nick Grimm spoke to Lisa Owen about Australia appointing a new federal opposition leader as the Liberal Party seeks to draw a line under disastrous polling showing its headed… Read more Audio

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

5:31 PM.A former Kiwi rugby league star is fighting for his life after being shot in a drive-by. NRL premiership winner Matt Utai is believed to have been gunned down on a street in West Sydney. Sports… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.A Westport dental clinic is struggling as it faces a major shortage. Wait times at the town's only adult dental practice are weeks long as the hunt for a second full time dentist drags on. Kawatiri… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.The country's first National Infrastructure Plan has been revealed, detailing an 'affordable' plan to tackle the country's infrastructure woes. It said building and maintaining infrastructure was… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Canterbury has been hammered by heavy rain as the storm that caused havoc in the north swept along the South Island's east coast today, with more than 300 millimetres falling in some areas. A local… Read more Audio

4:51 PM.Hundreds of Auckland construction projects are in limbo after changes to residential building standards. Under the old medium density residential standards houses could go up three stories or eleven… Read more Audio

4:48 PM.A woman accused defrauding a man out of more than half a million-dollars in an alleged 18-year romance scam has appeared in court for the first time today. The Auckland woman, who has interim name… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.Residents of an affluent east Auckland suburb fear their quiet lifestyle will be shattered by a three-storey development in the middle of their neighbourhood. The controversial development in Farm… Read more Audio

4:36 PM.Some isolated Wairarapa residents are gutted they're cut off from their livelihoods and emergency services after a destructive storm ripped through the region on Sunday and Monday. Torrential rain and… Read more Audio

4:29 PM.Former champions are teetering on the edge of an early exit and minnow nations are making history at the T20 Cricket World Cup. Amongst the upsets and surprises in the tournament hosted in India and… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.A woman has been killed in a dog attack in the small Northland settlement of Kaihu. Police were called to a property about 11.30 this morning along with ambulance, the fire service and the Northland… Read more Audio

4:15 PM.United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about the US increasing military presence near Iran ahead of a high stakes meeting between the two nations, as well as the search… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.A local state emergency is in place for Banks Peninsula. The town of Akaroa is completely cut off. Most of the Christchurch Akaroa Road is closed due to flooding and slips. A Boil Water Notice is now… Read more Audio