Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:07 PM.More than 30 Melbourne suburbs will go into a four-week lockdown tonight in an attempt to bring an outbreak of Covid-19 cases across the city back under control. Read more Video, Audio

6:16 PM.People searching for work in Taranaki have been offered a new platform to help find employment. Job Hop is a website that connects jobseekers to employers offering casual work -- all for a flat rate… Read more Audio

6:14 PM.Auckland is having its consent to take extra water from the Waikato River fast-tracked, as it grapples with its worst drought in 25 years. Audio

6:10 PM.New Zealand has abandoned plans to physically host APEC in 2021 - opting to 'go virtual' in the face of the global pandemic. Audio

5:53 PM.The brakes are going on traffic in Auckland's CBD - with new lower speed limits in effect for around 600 roads today. The new restrictions are part of efforts to bring down the number of pedestrian… Read more Video, Audio

5:48 PM.The Crown has been slammed once again by the Waitangi Tribunal - this time for the Marine and Coastal Area Act - legislation it says breaches the Treaty of Waitangi. Audio

5:46 PM.Not for the first time in its long history, the America's Cup is embroiled in skulduggery and subterfuge. Team New Zealand's much-lauded preparations have hit rough waters, following allegations of… Read more Video, Audio

5:39 PM."Depressing" "tragic," and "very frustrating" - those are just some of the words being used to described the state of the country's wool industry.While crossbred wool prices have been struggling for… Read more Video, Audio

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

5:26 PM.The mother of a severely disabled Auckland woman who lost her respite care after the Laura Fergusson Trust announced its sudden closure, still doesn't know when she will receive a much needed break… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.Meridian Energy has been exposed for spilling water at its South Island dams last December which cost consumers about $80 million dollars. Audio

5:12 PM."There is no time left" - the words of an Australian epidemiologist who believes certain Melbourne neighourhoods need to be barricaded in to stop the spread of covid19. Read more Video, Audio

5:07 PM.Our borders remain firmly closed to tourists despite the EU opening its borders to 14 countries including New Zealand. Technically, from tomorrow you can travel to Europe, but the return journey might… Read more Video, Audio

6:18 PM.After 15 years in Parliament, 14 different porfolios and a stint as Deputy Prime Minister, the MP for Upper Harbour Paula Bennett is exiting stage right at this year's election.

She told the party's… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.Some Te Anau business owners are describing recent government funding in Queenstown as a "kick in the stomach".

Te Anau is the gateway to popular tourist spots including Milford Sound, and relies… Read more Audio

6:12 PM.The Prime Minister has poured cold water on the borders opening any time soon to anyone who's not a New Zealand citizen or permanent residents.

Jacinda Ardern says the spike in cases in Victoria… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The Director-General of Health says officials will abandon attempts to contact more than 300 people, who were allowed to leave managed isolation without being tested.

Officials had to go back and… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.The book Pull No Punches by MP Judith Collins is due to hit bookstore shelves this week and gives some insights into the National Party backroom.

Lisa Owens asked the MP of 18 years, if the release… Read more Video, Audio

5:42 PM.A witness to the March 15 mosque attacks says an interview with the shooter should not be made public.

The Royal Commission in to the events leading up to the fatal shooting of 51 muslim worshippers… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.[embed]https://youtu.be/aUD57X3moEQ

News from the business sector, including a market report. Read more Video, Audio

5:27 PM.The pilot in command of a helicopter that crashed near Wānaka has told a coronial inquest he's so safety-conscious his colleagues describe him as 'the fun police'.

Auckland man Jerome Box was killed… Read more Audio

5:23 PM.National MP Paula Bennett is bowing out of politics, to pursue a career in "the business world".

Mrs Bennett was ousted as deputy leader and the campaign chair in Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye's… Read more Audio

5:18 PM.A recently returned New Zealander is aghast at the Government's managed isolation co-payment plans.

Nathan Tunbridge, who returned to the country be with a dying relative, is waiting on his fiance to… Read more Audio

5:13 PM.All passengers flying into New Zealand on the national carrier will be strongly encouraged to wear masks for their journey, as a further step to protect the border.

The Government will spend $150… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.Warning: Some of the details of this story may be distressing to some people.

A Southland teenager will spend at least the next 11 years behind bars for murdering nine-year-old Hunter MacIntosh, a… Read more Audio