Checkpoint for Friday 20 February 2026

5:51 PM.Devastating weather, fragile infrastructure and wastewater woes. New Zealand's had a tough go of it this year and it's only February. It seems these national issues have attracted international… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.UK correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke with Lisa Owen about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Audio

5:31 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:27 PM.The Black Caps start the Super 8 stage of the Cricket T20 World Cup against Pakistan on Sunday. After playing the first part of the tournament in India the team has now moved to Sri Lanka to play… Read more Audio

5:22 PM.Five months on from a botched weight-loss operation in Turkey, a Manawatu woman is just days away from a full stomach reconstruction. Since returning home and falling unwell Helen Watson endured… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.There are growing calls to overall dog control laws that are almost three decades old, with pressure on government ramping up after a fatal dog attack earlier this week. 62-year-old Mihiata Te Rore… Read more Audio

4:52 PM.Fire crews have been battling a large blaze that's left an Auckland school's historic sports pavilion in ashes. The fire at Northcote College sent smoke billowing into the sky above the city's North… Read more Audio

4:47 PM.Businesses in a small Waikato town are facing uncertainity after a vital bridge was taken-out in severe weather, resulting in a detour that is taking much needed customers away from them. It's been a… Read more Audio

4:37 PM.A Nelson organisation is marking 25 years of helping thousands of victims of crime by giving them the opportunity to express their feelings, while encouraging criminals to acknowledge the harm they… Read more Audio

4:34 PM.Residents in the Wellington suburb of Miramar are disturbed after sewage exploded out of their toilets. Work being done by Wellington Water contractors apparently caused the sewage to back up. It… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.When is a rivalry no longer a rivalry? Tomorrow night the Wellington Phoenix host Auckland FC in the sixth edition of the New Zealand derby in the A-League. Auckland have dominanted these one-sided… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.Research shows penguins are more likely to eat discarded tops made from white or clear plastic, than any other colour. The study involving almost 70 King and Gentoo penguins from Kelly Tarlton's… Read more Audio

4:15 PM.Donald Trump has warned that "bad things" could happen if Iran doesn't reach a nuclear deal with his administration and that the US could decide whether it will strike the country in the next ten… Read more Audio

4:10 PM.A consumer advocacy group is urging the government to stay the course and ban card surcharges. Surcharges on credit card and contactless payments are estimated to cost New Zealand shoppers up to 65… Read more Audio

4:10 PM.A father of four says words cannot describe the relief he felt having a stable roof for his family after they spent a month living in a van before moving to emergency housing. His family is among… Read more Audio