Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:27 PM.About a third of businesses in Queenstown's CBD expect to go down the gurgler before winter is out.

A new survey by the town's chamber of commerce paints a grim picture of business confidence in the… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 PM.Aucklanders appear to be giving public transport a wide berth, as the hangover from four Covid-19 lockdowns continues to linger.

Numbers show Aucklanders are not jumping on the bus, train or ferry to… Read more Audio

5:17 PM.Australia has added insult to injury - with a senior government minister describing New Zealanders being deported here as "trash".

Australian television network 9 News was given extraordinary access… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.A new law preventing people with overdue MIQ bills leaving the country could be on the cards, as ministers consider ways to get more people paying up.

Only about a third of people invoiced so far… Read more Audio

5:10 PM.Auckland's hospitality industry is on tenterhooks on Thursday, on the eve of three big days of America's Cup racing, and frustration is building. Read more Video, Audio

6:21 PM.Warning: Report contains details that may disturb some listeners.

A trial is underway for a man accused of shooting a man three times in the head before storing the body in a chest freezer.

The… Read more Audio

6:19 PM.On the streets of Whangārei some are wary of any vaccine rollout - citing a lack of information.

But others are counting down the days until they get their shot - but say supermarket workers and… Read more Audio

6:12 PM.There is currently no special priority group for high performance athletes like the Black Caps, or New Zealand's Olympic athletes.

The government says it is still thrashing out the details of a… Read more Video, Audio

6:07 PM.Two million New Zealanders will be vaccinated against Covid-19 by July under the government's latest plans.

And everyone over 65 will be eligible from May.

The Covid-19 Reponse Minister Chris… Read more Audio

5:56 PM.A proposal is being put forward that would see all Wellington bus drivers paid at least the Living Wage.

Around half of all bus drivers in the region are currently paid below that threshold, some as… Read more Video, Audio

5:52 PM.Papua New Guinea has granted regulatory approval for the Covax facility to deliver the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in the country.

The government is preparing for the vaccine rollout to begin by… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.Just following the rules - that is Immigration's explanation for denying visas to some of the crew onboard a superyacht that was headed to New Zealand for a mega refit, worth hundreds of thousands of… Read more Video, Audio

5:41 PM.The battle for the Auld Mug is finally underway. Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa have kicked off the America's Cup on the Waitemata Harbour this afternoon.

The huge event was delayed a few days… Read more Video, Audio

5:37 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6238420614001 Video, Audio

5:32 PM.Some people in south Auckland will be prioritised for the vaccine, but not everyone.

Papatoetoe was the centre of the latest outbreak, so Checkpoint reporter Ella Stewart and cameraman Simon Rogers… Read more Video, Audio

5:25 PM.Countdown workers are down on the government's vaccine priority list, along with others in high customer contact jobs, like bus drivers.

Supermarket staff are among the essential workers that kept on… Read more Video, Audio

5:21 PM.Warmer, wetter, windier and wilder - that's what Otago residents are being told to expect as part of a milestone report on climate change.

The Otago Climate Change Risk Assessment maps out the… Read more Audio

5:17 PM.The government is once again under pressure to adopt a two-way trans-Tasman travel bubble.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the country is ready for a reciprocal bubble arrangement, and… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.The government has revealed the list of groups prioritised to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins talks to Lisa Owen.

In the interview Hipkins said Cabinet is… Read more Video, Audio

6:20 PM.Covid-19 lockdowns in the world's largest Polynesian city forced the Auckland Arts Festival to reschedule much of a year's work in the space of a week.

But a delayed launch is set for Thursday and… Read more Audio

6:17 PM.Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa are set to enter the starting box tomorrow - getting the America's Cup officially underway.

Fans are looking forward to it, teams are being guarded in public… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.An independent advisory group has been set up to oversee what the government's calling the "continual improvement" of its Covid-19 response.

Chaired by Sir Brian Roche, the group is tasked with… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The government plans to release the Covid-19 vaccine priority list on Wednesday, detailing who will get their jab and when, based on the arrival of more vaccines into the country.

Today, the… Read more Video, Audio

5:54 PM.A former state-approved caregiver accused of sexually abusing boys took the stand today to give evidence at his trial. Earl William Opetaia denies 26 charges relating to six teens, dating back to the… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.The Independent Police Conduct Authority and the Privacy Commissioner are broadening their investigation into the police practice of photographing innocent youths - to include any member of the… Read more Audio