Checkpoint for Tuesday 2 April 2019

6:18 PM.A campaign blackout is now in force in Solomon Islands ahead of tomorrow's general election - the first since the departure of the regional assistance mission known as RAMSI following instability in… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.Senior police officers have unboxed an arsenal of weapons in front of a select committee that's considering a ban on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns. Video, Audio

6:08 PM.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has wrapped up her first trip to China but has it produced any tangible gains for New Zealand businesses? The message coming from both countries is they want to see… Read more Video, Audio

5:54 PM.Residents in the Auckland suburb of Weymouth say they're concerned for the welfare of their pets after aggressive dogs killed as many as four cats in just a week. Video, Audio

5:51 PM.Family members of the five people killed in a car crash north of Taupo yesterday have started to arrive at Mokai marae. Our reporter Nita Blake-Persen and camera man Dan Cook went to see the mayor of… Read more Video, Audio

5:39 PM.Former Prime Minister Sir John Key has come out against recommendations to impose a capital gains tax, concerned it will have a crippling effect on business and farmers. He told business reporter Nona… Read more Video, Audio

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

5:27 PM.Ephraim Joseph Beazley has been sentenced to at least 17 years behind bars for brutally killing his ex-partner Xi Wang as she held their young child at the entrance to her South Auckland home. Audio

5:23 PM.Bus operators say the government's restoration of the right to rest and meal breaks, which were passed late last year, will cause delays, extra costs and compound an existing shortage of bus drivers.

5:18 PM.MSD has launched an investigation after a case worker allegedly "cracked a joke" to a Muslim woman about taking a holiday in Christchurch. Lisa Owen interviews MSD spokeswoman Kay Read. Read more Video, Audio

5:11 PM.ACT MP David Seymour planned to be the sole dissenting voice when the government sought leave of the house to hurry its gun law reform through - but he arrived late and missed the vote altogether. He… Read more Video, Audio

5:08 PM.Legislation covering a gun-ban and buy-back is a step closer after it passed its first hurdle in Parliament with near unanimous support. Just one MP - ACT's David Seymour - voted against the bill. Audio

5:00 PM.Watch Tuesday's full programme here. Video