Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:18 PM.A holiday in the Pacific appears to be a step closer tonight, with confirmation New Zealand officials are working on a "travel bridge" with the realm countries - Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. Audio

5:15 PM.Thirty deportees from Australia are settling in for the first night of their two-week stay at a central Auckland hotel. Their charter flight landed at Auckland airport this morning, as the deportation… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.The former National leader Todd Muller retreated to his Bay of Plenty electorate today - where he was not speaking to media. His constituents are commending him for putting his health first. RNZ… Read more Video, Audio

5:08 PM.National's senior leadership team was informed of Todd Muller's resignation last night. Its MPs are converging on Wellington for a 7pm meeting and RNZ political reporter Jo Moir has been speaking to… Read more Video, Audio

5:06 PM.The National Party is in crisis mode just ten weeks out from the general election. Its MPs are converging on Wellington for a 7pm meeting this and a new leader will be chosen in the next 24 to 48… Read more Audio

6:26 PM.While leaks were in the headlines last week, this week it's courgettes.

Why so pricey? Chief executive of NZ Fresh Produce Importers Association Kevin Nalder talks to Lisa Owen. Read more Audio

6:15 PM.Canterbury's Muslim community fears the Christchurch mosque gunman is positioning himself to deliver a hateful tirade at next month's sentencing.

Brenton Tarrant appeared via video link in the High… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The Labour Party appears to have blindsided by news of a Serious Fraud Office investigation into donations it received in 2017.

Shortly before the five, the SFO announced it had launched an inquiry -… Read more Video, Audio

5:54 PM.West Auckland pet owners are being warned to watch out for signs of poisoning in their animals after a flock of stupefied mallard ducks apparently dropped out of the sky in the area.

Fish and Game… Read more Video, Audio

5:47 PM.Across the ditch now where Victoria has recorded another 177 cases of the coronavirus in the last day.

It's the lowest daily number of new infections for several days, but health officials are… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.The family of a man shot dead in Taranaki two decades ago say they are looking for "justice" as they take a civil case against the police.

In April 2000, Steven Wallace used a golf club to smash the… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.One in six retail businesses are struggling to negotiate rent relief, and want government-assisted arbitration to help them resolve their plight.

The survey, done by Retail New Zealand, also shows… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:27 PM.After a temporary halt due to Covid-19, Australia will resume the deportation of New Zealanders this week - with a group of 30 arriving in to Auckland on a chartered flight.

They will carry out their… Read more Audio

5:17 PM.Mass murderer Brenton Tarrant will speak for himself at his sentencing next month after firing his lawyers, raising concerns it may be difficult to control what he says in court.

But a leading… Read more Video, Audio

5:08 PM.The Serious Fraud Office has launched an investigation in relation to donations made to the Labour Party in 2017.

In a statement, the SFO said it was conducting four investigations in relation to… Read more Video, Audio

6:20 PM.Gisborne farmers are ecstatic that a large sheep and cattle station in Tolaga Bay - which has just changed hands for the first time in nearly half a century - will not be turned into forestry.  Audio

6:14 PM.Australia is halving the number of international arrivals it will allow back into the country to ease pressure on isolation facilities across the Tasman. The Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the… Read more Audio

6:06 PM.Despite giving public assurances the case was closed, it turns out National Leader Todd Muller knew one of his frontbench MPs had also been leaked confidential Covid-19 patient data. MP Michael… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.Southland locals are worried a lack of funding for beach clean-ups might result in garbage building up in Fiordland's waters.  Read more Video, Audio

5:43 PM.A name change more than 20 years ago is putting the 120-year history of horse racing in New Plymouth in doubt. The council says Taranaki Racing Incorporated has been operating illegally at its central… Read more Audio

5:38 PM.The closure of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has raised concerns over what it will mean for the thousands of tonnes of potentially toxic waste stored in the small Southland town of Mataura.  Audio

5:33 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.The Auckland list MP has long faced claims about his links to the Chinese Communist Party - even accusations of being a spy. Jian Yang has always denied such claims - but some are today questioning… Read more Video, Audio

5:16 PM.A man in his fifties has been arrested after he escaped a managed isolation facility in Hamilton to visit a liquor shop. He has tested negative for Covid-19 - after arriving from Sydney on the first… Read more Audio