Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:56 PM.Tomorrow marks the first day of the year's ski season, with chairlifts opening at Mt Hutt in Canterbury and at Coronut Peak and Cardrona in Otago. Audio

5:54 PM.Anti-mining groups are staging a protest north of Whangarei this weekend as an Australian mining company begins prospecting for gold. Audio

5:50 PM.The All Blacks play their first match of the season against Wales tomorrow night.

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5:44 PM.The lawyer for a convicted murderer says the controversial three strikes legislation is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights Act and is urging the Court of Appeal to put Parliament on notice. Audio

5:40 PM.Diabetes specialists say New Zealand is behind the rest of the world in getting funded drugs for type 2 diabetes that would improve the lives of tens of thousands of people. Audio

5:37 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:32 PM.The body of the 66-year-old Greymouth man who's been missing since yesterday along with a two-year-old girl has been found in the Poerua River. Audio

5:27 PM.A woman found guilty of the manslaughter of her mother's partner has escaped a jail sentence, and will instead serve 12 months home detention - the maximum allowed under the law. Audio

5:13 PM.The Government has struck a behind-closed-doors deal with Te Puea marae, which is housing homeless families in Auckland. Audio

5:10 PM.John Key has agreed to disagree with his Fijian counterpart over Fiji's blacklisting of some journalists as he wrapped up the first official visit by a New Zealand leader to the Pacific nation in a… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Questions for Finance Minister, Bill English, are answered by his Cabinet colleagues including Defence Minister, Gerry Brownlee, who bats away one question by saying it would be better addressed to… Read more Audio

6:19 PM.The Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias has saluted the life and work of the late Maori leader Sir Graham Latimer at his tangi in Northland. Audio

6:16 PM.Paving on one of the country's largest road tunnels is nearing completion with work on Auckland's Waterview Connection on track to finish next year. Audio

6:09 PM.New statistics reveal Maori home-ownership has plummeted in the past 25 years, with the rate in some parts of the North Island dropping by as much as 40 percent. Audio

5:49 PM.The University of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby has been likened to a warzone a day after unrest flared that saw police open fire on protesting students. Audio

5:47 PM.The Prime Minister John Key has just arrived in Fiji for the start of his official visit. It's the first visit by a New Zealand leader since the Fiji's military coup in 2006. Audio

5:44 PM.At the Court of Appeal, the Crown is arguing two murderers with extensive criminal histories should've been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Audio

5:37 PM.Pharmac today announced that it would fund a number of new treatments for the treatment of advanced melanoma, hepatitis C and nephrotic syndrome in children. Audio

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

5:29 PM.A widely used pregnancy test kit is being investigated by Medsafe because of reports tests showed women were not pregnant, when they actually were. Audio