Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:57 PM.The President of Myanmar has been formally welcomed to New Zealand for the first time ending decades of limited contact between the two countries. Audio

5:54 PM.Wellington is bringing in a total ban on using water outdoors, including to water the garden or wash the car, as the fire risk mounts and water levels drop in a capital beset by urban drought. Audio

5:50 PM.One of three family members accused of killing two teenage girls in a car crash near Tauranga on Christmas Day 2011 has changed his plea as the trial nears its end at the High Court in Hamilton. Audio

5:47 PM.Maori Catholics are celebrating the election of the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church; A Rotorua lawyer who stole money from a Maori organisation has been banned from working in the profession… Read more Audio

5:42 PM.The former boss of Pike River Coal wants his trial moved to Wellington because he believes he will be abused by members of the public if it's held in Greymouth. Audio

5:39 PM.Pope Francis the 1st is now the Catholic Church's new leader and the world's first Latin American pope. Audio

5:37 PM.The All Black, Zac Guildford, has admitted publicly he is an alcoholic. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:28 PM.More now on the prolonged drought which has forced the central bank to say it will keep interest rates on hold this year. Audio

5:25 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.The deputy chair of the Commerce Select Committee and Labour's State-Owned Enterprises spokesperson, Clayton Cosgrove is with us. Audio

5:15 PM.The former chair of the debt-stricken state coal miner has told MPs the Government pushed the board to take on more debt than it was comfortable with. Audio

5:11 PM.Almost half of the world's catholics live in Latin America and in Argentina crowds began pouring into the streets within hours of the surprise announcement. Audio

5:08 PM.The election of Argentina's Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the new head of the troubled Catholic church has come as a surprise to many Vatican watchers. Audio

5:00 PM.The world's first non-European Pope in 13-hundred years. Solid Energy admits mistakes and drought forces the central bank to keep interest rates on hold. Audio

6:48 PM.A major Taranaki Maori dairy farmer is counting on its diverse farming portfolio to mitigate the effects of the increasing drought conditions; A kaumatua, who leads a group opposing state-asset share… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.Today Wellington hosted the biggest crowd of cruise ship tourists ever. Audio

6:42 PM.The failure of Solid Energy's biodiesel business leaves a once hopeful alternative energy business hanging on by its fingernails. Audio

6:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:27 PM.It's the hole in one that became a golfer's worst nightmare. Audio

6:21 PM.Telecom is continuing to shed staff to remain competitive with its rivals, axing two-thirds of its workers in its corporate I.T services unit in Australia. Audio

6:16 PM.Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, Beyonce and the Los Angeles police chief are just some of the victims of an online data breach involving both Washington's political elite and Hollywood… Read more Audio

6:11 PM.An American Cardinal who is at the Vatican voting to elect a new Pope has agreed to a 12 million dollar payout to settle four child sexual abuse cases. Audio

6:08 PM.The Government has had to admit in Parliament that it forced Solid Energy to take on more debt so it could increase its dividend payouts to the Crown. Audio

5:53 PM.The Minister of Housing has acknowledged tension between the Government and the Auckland Council over how to boost the supply of homes in the city. Audio