Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:14 PM.While a policy change to medicinal cannabis may streamline the process for specialists, questions remain over how affordable it may be. Audio

6:24 PM.Boil notices and e-coli scares will continue to appear around the country according to a public health professor, who says says extreme weather due to climate change is going to put more pressure on… Read more Audio

6:20 PM.The Crown says a 30-year-friendship between two men ended with one handcuffing and kidnapping the other, before driving him to a remote hilltop and crushing his skull with a baseball bat. Audio

6:17 PM.A security consultant has been arrested after a listening device was found in the All Blacks' hotel room in Sydney last year. 2GB sports reporter Nick Fergus joins Checkpoint. Audio

6:09 PM.Andrew Little has promised a high list placing for broadcaster Willie Jackson, who joined the party at the weekend, saying he has strong ties to urban Maori, a vote Labour is wanting to grow. Audio

5:53 PM.Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says specialists may soon be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis, instead of people needing Ministerial approval. Audio

5:50 PM.Opposition MPs are condemning the Government's deal with Peter Thiel, which saw the billionaire's company make an enormous profit while the taxpayer made almost nothing. Audio

5:34 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:27 PM.An advocate for autistic rights has spoken out against a Nelson mum's four year sentence, saying it sends a message that murdering an autistic person is a viable option for desperate parents. Audio

5:24 PM.The Aratiatia Dam north of Taupo is opened four times a day in summer to allow tourists to see the river in full force, but now Mercury Energy is reviewing its warning system. Audio

5:20 PM.Victims of crashes caused by tourist drivers want the Government to force tourist drivers to sit a license test, or at the very least, an online exam before they can get behind the wheel. Read more Video, Audio

6:12 PM.While some believe the investment will make a difference, others says without addressing the nation's P epidemic or police culture, more police will achieve little. Audio

5:49 PM.Judge Andrew Becroft says he's astonished children haven't been asked for their views on the Education Amendment Bill, and wants MPs to stop working on it until they are. Audio