Checkpoint Podcast Options

4:07 PM.Regional operator Sounds Air is canning its Wellington/Westport route in the face of tough economic headwinds. It's last run to the capital will be December 31st. Sounds Air said unlike Air New… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.Australia correspondent Peter Ryan spoke to Lisa Owen about the high cost of housing in Australia being blamed for the collapse in the birth rate, which has tumbled to its lowest level since European… Read more Audio

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

5:33 PM.Today is D-Day for Darleen Tana - with the Green Party due to meet this evening to decide whether to eject their former MP from Parliament altogether. It comes after a fraught and drawn-out process -… Read more Audio

5:29 PM.Rising ticket prices for sports events are upsetting some fans but organisers are gambling on people forking out big bucks for bucket list events. Golf's Ryder Cup is the latest event to come under… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.The local government minister Simeon Brown said he still has concerns about the workings of Wellington City Council. That's despite his meeting with Wellington's Mayor Tory Whanau at parliament this… Read more Audio

5:18 PM."Dire" is how one advocacy service describes the disability housing situation. Disability Connect helps people with disabilities, and their families, find the services and support they need. It's… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.A man paralysed after a fall, who has been in emergency housing for three years, waiting for a wheel chair friendly state house, is still waiting for a property to be modified. The New Plymouth man… Read more Audio

4:42 PM.Young people on the job seeker benefit say they're barely surviving as they struggle to find work while dealing with threat of losing their only source of income. In August, the government introduced… Read more Audio

4:36 PM.Hawke's Bay's controversial Ruataniwha Dam project was back in the public spotlight at a council meeting today for the first time in years. Plans for the nearly billion-dollar dam were scuppered in… Read more Audio

4:28 PM.The feud between All Black centre Reiko Ioane and Ireland's Jonny Sexton has been put to bed, for now. The two players have been trading jabs since last year's Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Sports… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.Dunedin's Cliff the Ambulance has hit the road as the city council's Save Our Southern Hospital campaign ramps up. Ministers are waiting for officials to report back with options to reduce costs in… Read more Audio

4:15 PM.United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about the state of Georgia having a record breaking day of early voting, two election workers in Georgia taking to court to claim millions… Read more Audio

4:07 PM.So far this year, 176 routes have been or are being reviewed by the Ministry of Education; 21 have been cut and 11 have been replaced with different routes or combined with others. Otago schools have… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.Africa correspondent Elna Schutz spoke to Lisa Owen about a controversial African activist being arrested in Paris, the impacts of the drought across Southern African countries on people and a long… Read more Audio

5:30 PM.Police have netted several fishers allegedly, illegally taking whitebait from Southland's Waiau river. The bust was part of a joint operation between Police, the Department of Conservation, Fisheries… Read more Audio

5:24 PM.Villages along the South coast of Upolu in Samoa near the shipwrecked Manawanui are demanding compensation from the New Zealand government, saying the maritime disaster has affected their livelihoods… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.In an open letter to the Prime Minister, more than 40 southern senior doctors are warning any cost cut cutting or down sizing of the Dunedin Hospital rebuild could leave it in a precarious state… Read more Audio

5:05 PM.A closed door crisis meeting of the Wellington City Council has broken up in the last hour. The government has signalled it could intervene, with one minister describing it as a shambles. Some… Read more Audio

4:45 PM.A Dunedin solo mum is at breaking point, with her family spread across three temporary homes, after her Clyde Hill house was red stickered following the flood earlier this month. Krystal Brens' house… Read more Audio

4:44 PM.The era of crushing price rises is over, that's the victory cry from the Finance Minister today, as inflation drops back into its target range. Figures show prices are still up - but just by 2.2… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.Cyclone Gabrielle still feels like yesterday for some Far Northerners struggling with damaged and dangerous homes. But for a few, there could be a way out at last, as the council considers a buy-out… Read more Audio

4:28 PM.The British lawyer leading a multi-million dollar concussion lawsuit against rugby's governing bodies has been accused of pressuring a player to lie about his dementia diagnosis. More than 200 former… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.Mayor Tory Whanau said she won't be resigning despite claims Wellington city council is a shambles and the government is considering intervention. Councillors are still in a closed door urgent meeting… Read more Audio

4:15 PM.Asia correspondent Erin Hale spoke to Lisa Owen about China surrounding Taiwan with a series of military drills earlier this week, North Korea blowing up roads linking it with South Korea and some… Read more Audio