Checkpoint Podcast Options

5:44 PM.Sex workers say they are being undercut and crowded out by foreign prostitutes working in breach of their visas, because New Zealand is seen as an easy sex work holiday. Audio

5:38 PM.The 'three strikes' law is set to be axed, with Justice Minister Andrew Little saying he will take a proposal to Cabinet to repeal it in 10 days. That's bad news for Norm Withers, who wants tougher… Read more Video, Audio

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

5:25 PM.The Mycoplasma bovis 'road show' headed to Makuri, near Palmerston North, today. John Campbell called the Makuri Country Club to speak to farmers. First up was dairy farmer and Tararua District Mayor… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.Ukraine's security services say they faked the murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko to save him from what they said was a real assassination plot by Russia. Even his family thought he was… Read more Video, Audio

5:18 PM.The taxpayer has paid potentially millions of dollars in free renovations to private homeowners as a result of Housing New Zealand's botched campaign against methamphetamine contamination. Read more Audio

5:14 PM.Housing Minister Phil Twyford has been labelled a hypocrite for refusing to apologise or compensate tenants who were kicked out of their HNZ houses because of flawed meth testing guidelines. Video, Audio

5:09 PM.An Auckland petrol tax is now a reality after the council voted two-to-one in favour. Petrol prices will go up by 11.5 cents a litre in July. Auckland Issues Correspondent Todd Niall reports. Video, Audio

Watch Thursday's full programme here.

6:23 PM.Locals in the seaside villages of Haumoana and Te Awanga, near Cape Kidnappers, say their bore has never had any issues so the decision to chlorinate their water is a complete "overreaction" to the… Read more Video, Audio

6:15 PM.A security guard is to be placed in the Adult Acutes Inpatient Unit at Christchurch's Hillmorton Hospital, but nurses say that isn't enough to stop assaults. Video, Audio

5:56 PM.More than 50 homes and businesses near Murchison have had no internet or cell phone coverage for 10 days after lightning struck a nearby cell phone tower. Video, Audio

5:49 PM.Selwyn District Council is concerned about the cost of building a new sewarage scheme and is now considering not renewing Selwyn Huts owners' licences. Read more Video, Audio

5:37 PM.A Housing New Zealand contractor says she's baffled by how much money HNZ has paid cleaning up the "perceived threat" of methamphetamine, while neglecting "real threats" such as mould. Video, Audio

5:27 PM.Taranaki Taku Tūranga - which aims to eradicate pests from the entire region -- will get an injection of nearly $12 million over five years from the Predator Free 2050 fund. Video, Audio

5:19 PM.Three 15-year-olds and one 12-year-old have died in recent months while being chased by police. John Campbell asks some of their families why are youngsters driving stolen cars so recklessly they're… Read more Video, Audio

5:09 PM.National's deputy leader Paula Bennett says if she was still a minister she would expect HNZ to consider apologising and compensating tenants evicted from their homes due to meth-contamination. Read more Video, Audio

6:27 PM.France has offered citizenship to Mamoudou Gassama, an illegal immigrant who climbed up the outside of an apartment block to save a boy who was about to fall from a balcony. Video, Audio

6:17 PM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told farmers in South Canterbury today that the Biosecurity Act would be overhauled once MPI's investigation into Mycoplasma bovis was complete. Video, Audio

6:09 PM.Skid marks and pieces of concrete from a power pole are the only grim reminders that remain after a car crashed during a police pursuit in Palmerston North yesterday. Video, Audio