Checkpoint Podcast Options

4:24 PM.The boss of a Southland RSA is not pulling his punches after thieves pinched burial plaques off soldiers graves at an Invercargill cemetery. Police believe they were stolen from the St Johns Cemetery… Read more Audio

4:14 PM.United States correspondent Todd Zwillich spoke to Lisa Owen about tensions betwene Venezuela and America ramping up along with concerns over US air strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats, as well… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.Small busineses are being advised not to panic over the arrival of retail giant IKEA. The 34,000 square metre store is stocked with 7,500 unique products, with forecasts suggesting up to 20,000… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about Chancellor Rachel Reeves rejecting claims that she lied about the UK's finances ahead of the budget announcement, as well as a… Read more Audio

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

5:32 PM.After nearly 20 years at the top, Football Fern Annalie Longo is hanging up her boots after tomorrow's game against Australia. Longo made her senior debut as a 15-year-old and has played more than 140… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.A spate of youth crime in Christchurch has police urging parents to get in touch if their child is missing in action, so they can avoid becoming a statistic. It peaked in May with 162 young offenders… Read more Audio

5:18 PM.Councils are once again being told to start living within their means and focus on the basics, with the government releasing details of its long-awaited rates cap. Instead of a fixed cap, the… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.IKEA New Zealand's CEO says there will be no chaos as the Swedish retailer opens its first 34,000 square metre store in Auckland this week. In 2024 the Ikea was operating in 60 markets, with annual… Read more Audio

4:55 PM.It's only the first day of summer - but already a code brown is casting an unwanted shadow over Auckland's beaches. Sewage overflows from the weekend's thunderstorms have impacted water quality at… Read more Audio

4:49 PM.A Christchurch school says it has been provided with what it believes are contaminated school lunches in a significant health and safety breach. In a social media post Haeata Community Campus said it… Read more Audio

4:45 PM.Young people are living on the streets and sleeping in cars, and an Auckland support service says it's getting worse. Kick Back has put out its first State of the Street report and says it's an SOS to… Read more Audio

4:37 PM.New Zealand's first ever IKEA is set to open in Auckland's Mount Wellington this week, with 15 to 20 thousand people expected to roll through the doors. Staff say the stores are packed with 7,500… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.Rugby's ongoing drama with a breakaway competition took another twist over the weekend. R360 had been touted as a 'major disrupter', promising huge salaries and a new franchise-model playing around… Read more Audio

4:26 PM.A Northland leader is calling for the popular Kai Iwi lakes to be closed to boaties in the lead up to Christmas because of the threat of a highly invasive pest. The freshwater gold clam, which can… Read more Audio

4:17 PM.Middle East correspondent Jacob Brown spoke to Lisa Owen about Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu asking for a presidential pardon in the numerous corruption cases against him, as well as… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.Has flexible or remote work made work more fun and has the freedom made us happier? The nine to five has changed a lot of recent years; covid forced some business to adapt with working from a home a… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.Checkpoint producer Johnny Sutherland Spoke to Lisa Owen about one Kiwi business that doesn't hop on the Black Friday sale bandwagon. Audio

5:44 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about two prisoners in France escaping by using bed sheets, as well as the UK's Labour government reversing a key promise on workers… Read more Audio

5:29 PM.The road to the 2027 Basketball World Cup starts for the Tall Blacks against their closest rivals in Hobart tonight. Home and away games against the Australian Boomers begin a qualification process… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.Another day, another public service strike, with 2000 firefighters and 17,000 health workers walking off the job nationwide. For both members of the Professional Firefighters Union and the PSA, it was… Read more Audio

5:21 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:16 PM.The New Zealand Transport Agency has doubled down on its stance that a braking system linked to six deaths is not inherently unsafe. The Coroner determined that these brakes, found in about 70,000… Read more Audio

5:10 PM.Police say they've busted up a major international crime syndicate trafficking massive amounts of drugs through Auckland Airport. They have arrested eight members of the Brotherhood 28 MC gang… Read more Audio

4:48 PM.The gigantic home retail store IKEA throws open its door next week in Mount Wellington, just off the city's southern motorway and a stone's throw from the Sylvia Park Mall. It's anticipated there will… Read more Audio