Checkpoint
Otago rivers drop below minimum flow, stopping irrigation
Irrigation permits for the Taieri River have been shutdown, meanwhile restrictions have also begun on the Pomahaka and Kakanui rivers as they drop towards their minimums. Audio
Chai Chuah 'wasn't right for the job' - NZMA president
Pippa MacKay said she hopes the new Minister of Health was behind the Director-General of Health Chai Chuah's resignation. She said he was a 'bean counter' who couldn't count the beans properly. Audio
Plans unveiled for luxury NZ train
A local company with Chinese backing wants to take wealthy tourists through regional New Zealand, and have the train cross the Cook Strait on a rail ferry. Video, Audio
Urgent need to increase addiction services - Health Minister
Addiction services are under-funded and more treatment facilities are urgently needed, Minister of Health David Clark says. Video, Audio
Evening business for Mon 4 Dec
News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio
Community work right challenge for young beneficiaries - Harawira
Mana Party leader Hone Harawira agrees with Regional Development Minister Shane Jones that the government should step in to get young people on the benefit "off the couch". Video, Audio
Aged care sector warns of looming crisis
New immigration rules brought in by the former National Government mean the aged care sector could lose a third of its staff by April 2020, because around a third of its workers are migrants. Audio
Farmers worried early summer highs could spell drought
The mercury topped 30 degrees in some parts of the country, with highs of 31 in Alexandra and Clyde, and with temperatures this warm at the start of the summer, feed stocks could disappear quickly. Video, Audio
Napier told to conserve water with reservoirs critical
Residents have been warned the city could run out of water as soon as tonight if strict water restrictions aren't adhered to. Reservoirs are at a critical level after sizzling temperatures around the… Video, Audio
Director-General of Health resigns
Canterbury District Health Board member Jo Kane called for the Director-General of Health Chai Chuah's resignation. She joined Checkpoint live shortly after the Health Minister confirmed his… Video, Audio
Kiwi Ferns determined to bring home the cup
The New Zealand women's rugby league team take on Australia in the final in Brisbane tomorrow before the men's final between the Kangaroos and England. Audio
Rahui on Waitakere Ranges the 'right thing to do'
The tangata whenua of the ranges, Te Kawerau-a-Maki, is placing a rahui - or a cultural prohibition - on entering the park at an early morning ceremony tomorrow. Video, Audio
Myrtle rust spreads to Wellington
The disease's spread is a sign that myrtle rust could be here to stay, and MPI may have to switch its focus from eradication to management. Video, Audio
Nigel Murray likened to Al Capone
A senior doctor at Waikato Hospital has likened disgraced former DHB chief executive Nigel Murray to the mobster Al Capone, and says he is not in trouble his for his worst crime - hospital… Audio
Sixty year old symbol of friendship poisoned in Taranaki
Authorities in Taranaki are investigating the poisoning of a Pohutukawa planted by two air force veterans as a symbol of friendship in 1951. Video, Audio
Contraceptive pill shortage could see women turned away
A nation-wide shortage of the country's most commonly prescribed contraceptive pill has some pharmacists worried they may have to start turning women away. Audio
Ministers told to scrap programmes
Finance Minister Grant Robertson has signalled some existing government programmes or areas of spending may need to be changed or cut for the government to fuflill its financial promises. Video, Audio
Evening business for Fri 1 Dec
News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio
Fonterra ordered to pay $183m over botulism scare
A botulism scare has cost Fonterra $183 million - and New Zealand's largest company has slashed its forecast dividend as a result. Video, Audio
'Fruit Bowl of the South' smashes Spring heat records
The central Otago township of Cromwell has seen Spring heat records smashed, with the rising mercury ripening apricots so early they've been harvested from one orchard in November, for the first time.
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