Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:17 PM.Police are knocking on drug dealers' doors looking for a bad batch of synthetics, after 10 people, some suffering seizures and heart attacks, were admitted to hospital in Christchurch after smoking… Read more Video, Audio

5:10 PM.Housing New Zealand says people who rented their state houses through third party agents, and were kicked out over dodgy methamphetamine tests, might not be eligible for compensation. Read more Video, Audio

6:12 PM.Political commentator Matthew Hooton says the firing of Meka Whaitiri from her ministerial role today is a "cynical stunt" from a "cynical government" to take the attention off the tax working group.

6:08 PM.Hundreds of state house tenants are in line for compensation after being booted out of their homes on the basis of flawed methamphetamine tests, but National has fired back, saying it acted on the… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.The commonly-used Fijian greeting has been trademarked this month by United States businessman Ross Kashtan, who runs a kava bar as well as the 'Bula Kafe' in Florida. Video, Audio

5:46 PM.New Zealand Bar Association says the legal aid system is not achieving what it should as a large portion of the population do not qualify for legal aid, but cannot afford to pay for legal services. Video, Audio

5:38 PM.Nurses are warning that violence in hospitals is rising, saying some of them have suffered permanent brain injuries after being physically attacked on the job. Audio

5:34 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:26 PM.Justice van Bohemen has called for an independent inquiry into the care and decision to release Gabriel Yad-Elohim, who stomped a pensioner to death, into the community. Audio

5:21 PM.The Tax Working Group has signalled New Zealand should tax emissions more, leave GST alone, and offered suggestions on a capital gains tax. John Shewan is a former chair of PWC and a member of the… Read more Video, Audio

5:15 PM.People unfairly evicted from their homes during the flawed meth testing debacle may also be reimbursed from the Ministry of Social Development for the money they spent on emergency accommodation. Read more Video, Audio

5:09 PM.Meka Whaitiri has been stripped of her Ministerial roles after being involved in an altercation with a staff member, but she will remain on as an MP and as co-chair of Labour's Māori caucus. Video, Audio

6:16 PM.Court sittings throughout the country were put on hold for two hours' today after workers from the Ministry of Justice walked off the job, demanding better pay. Video, Audio

6:09 PM.Celebrations kicked off at dawn and haven't stopped, as people across the country came together to mark 125 years since women won the right to vote. Video, Audio

5:52 PM.MPI's director of food regulation Paul Dansted is calling on consumers to report their concerns about food tampering here after strawberries, bananas, and apples have fallen victim to industrial… Read more Video, Audio

5:46 PM.What's his skill set? What experience does he have? The best person to ask is obviously the man himself, but Derek Handley is not responding to requests for comment. So Checkpoint looked at his CV. Video, Audio

5:43 PM.Government ministers have defied a pointed request from Parliament's Speaker to bring emails from former minister Clare Curran to question time today. Video, Audio

5:38 PM.New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the government will get the refugee centre “up to scratch”, roll out its housing programme and bring net immigration down before hundreds more refugees… Read more Video, Audio