Checkpoint for Monday 23 December 2019

5:53 PM.The race relations commissioner has defended the New Zealand Dutch community's continued use of controversial Christmas character Black Pete. He first appeared in Dutch literature in the 19th Century… Read more Audio

5:51 PM.It's hoped a boil water notice for fourteen thousand Christchurch households will be lifted tomorrow. The notice was issued by the Christchurch City Council on Saturday morning after a single sample… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.It's the countdown to Christmas and many people are rushing out for a last-minute shop. With just one day left, Paymark - which runs the country's eftpos terminals - says the running total for… Read more Audio

5:41 PM.Eighty six homes have been lost in a blaze that broke out on Friday during what's been described as catastrophic conditions. The fire claimed the life of a 69 year old man who was found dead at his… Read more Audio

5:34 PM.The death toll from the Whakaari White Island eruption now stands at 17, with the overnight death of another victim in Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland. But there is some good news as well, with… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.The Media Council has upheld more than one hundred complaints against the Otago Daily Times over its controversial cartoon that made light of Samoa's measles epidemic. The cartoon by veteran… Read more Audio

5:18 PM.Aussie firefighter slams government stance on climate change A top Aussie firefighter says the government is living in a parallel universe with its attitude to climate change - and there's a growing… Read more Audio

5:09 PM.A scuba diver who was swept three kilometres out to sea has described swallowing so much water he vomited several times, but he never gave up hope of being rescued. Todd Russell spent fours hours in… Read more Audio