Checkpoint Podcast Options

6:50 PM.Prime Minister John Key defends his government's anti-smoking policies against further attacks from New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters. Mister Key is also required to defend housing policies and… Read more Audio

6:24 PM.The Wellington City Council has scrapped a proposal to fine people who are over an hour late to burials $50. Audio

6:15 PM.The suicide rate for Maori is two-and-a-half times more than for non-Maori and typical of indigenous people around the world. Audio

6:13 PM.United Future leader Peter Dunne says there's a lot of water to go under the bridge before the next election in 18 month's time and he hasn't even thought about whether he will stand again in his… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.The Prime Minister says building consents are not just a piece of paper, and do result in houses being built. Audio

5:51 PM.An historic Antarctica-New Zealand site is likely to be submerged under water this summer due to climate changes which are causing lake levels to rise in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Audio

5:41 PM.Auckland businessman Jeremy Hamish Kerr who threatened to spike infant milk formula with 1080, has admitted charges relating to possessing and selling party pills. Audio

5:38 PM.The Government is being urged to punish Auckland charter school Vanguard Military School which is breaching its contract by refused to enrol students later than January. Audio

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

5:28 PM.Lucrative offers from European clubs haven't been enough to lure Sonny Bill Williams away from the All Blacks and a crack at a third Rugby World Cup title. Audio

5:24 PM.A beleaguered Wellington City Council has been told in no uncertain terms the way it conducted the rollout of a controversial cycleway in the suburb of Island Bay has hurt its ambitions for city-wide… Read more Audio

5:19 PM.The sister and father of New Zealand woman Cindy Waldron feared dead after she was taken by a crocodile in Queensland say they will stay at the site of the attack until the search for her ends. Audio

5:14 PM.The chairman of tribal river trust Te Arawa River Iwi Trust has hit back at elders who are questioning the financial management of the trust. Audio

6:54 PM.Government MPs help Finance Minister, Bill English, defend his Budget by lobbing up patsy questions. Prime Minister, John Key, faces more difficult questions from Opposition leader, Andrew Little. New… Read more Audio

6:28 PM.Te Whānau O Waipareira Trust says people with after-hours illnesses should go to the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department. Audio

6:25 PM.New Zealand basketballer Steven Adams will not be going to the NBA finals, after his team Oklahoma City Thunder was beaten by Golden State Warriors. His manager Kenny McFadden joins Checkpoint. Audio

6:17 PM.The Auckland SPCA is urging pet owners to reduce the health impacts of second-hand smoke on cats, fish, dogs, and other pets. Audio

6:14 PM.A group opposing water consents attached to a piece of land in Ashburton are hosting a public meeting tonight to try and educate the public. Audio

6:11 PM.A review of the Ministry of Social Development has found more than 30 examples where it was not complying with the law, and some of those could mean the Government needs to fork out more money for… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.The latest Panama Papers investigation shows a business woman banned from working in the financial industry in Hong Kong for a decade is now a director of a New Zealand company. That's raised… Read more Audio