Checkpoint for Friday 8 May 2020

5:07 PM.The government has released thousands of pages of documents around its Covid-19 decisions on Friday afternoon.

The documents include papers, minutes and key Covid-19 advice given to government up to… Read more Video, Audio

5:15 PM.The owner of the bar at the centre of Matamata's Covid-19 cluster says he feels partly responsible for the outbreak in his community. 

The cluster - one of the biggest in New Zealand - grew to 77… Read more Video, Audio

5:22 PM.Principals fear some students won't return to school at all after lockdown because they've been forced to get full-time jobs to support their families through the pandemic.

It has been almost two… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.A New Zealand man working onboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship says a crew member, who later tested positive for Covid-19 stayed on the ship between voyages in early March as passengers disembarked… Read more Video, Audio

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

5:38 PM.A drop in the demand for oil during lockdown has created a backlog of oil tankers at Marsden Point refinery near Whangarei.

The ships are waiting to drain their massive tanks of crude oil, but as… Read more Audio

5:43 PM.A Christchurch man is pleading for government officials exempt him from quarantine, so that he can see his dying wife one last time.

Mining contractor Bernie Ryan returned from Australia on Sunday… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.Food businesses say their perishable goods are spoiling as courier drivers are run off their feet and can't carry them fast enough.

One courier firm has launched an app to recruit enough drivers to… Read more Audio

5:50 PM.Those 'shredding for summer' have had their work out plans dramatically curtailed after lockdown closed gyms and studios across the country.

As New Zealand drops down the levels, gyms will be opening… Read more Audio

5:53 PM.A recent surge of cars and trucks on the roads has provided a much needed boost for towns who rely on travellers stopping to shop.

Data from the Transport Agency show a four-fold increase in heavy… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.As we move closer to the more relaxed alert level 2, New Zealanders are starting to shift their focus from surviving lock down, to the exciting freedoms and possibilities that level 2 will bring.

RNZ… Read more Video, Audio

6:07 PM.With all eyes on next week's Budget, new figures show the bite of Covid-19 on people's jobs - with about 40,000 people going on the dole since lockdown.

The government is putting the finishing… Read more Audio

6:10 PM.Living in isolation isn't new for the residents of the Chathams - but being completely cut off during the lockdown has been hard going, even for them.

The challenges of losing loved ones and getting… Read more Video, Audio

6:17 PM.Ski resorts expect visitor numbers will be cut in half as border closures keep international guests off the slopes.

The industry received a big boost on Thursday with news that ski fields can open in… Read more Audio

6:24 PM.There have been many stories of how families have spent the month in lockdown, but one family has had a particularly unique experience.

Kirsty Willis is the general manager of Willowbank Wildlife… Read more Video, Audio