Checkpoint for Tuesday 12 May 2020

5:07 PM.The Tourism Minister is under fire for not acting fast enough in response to Covid-19 impacts.

Tourism operators say hundreds of thousands more jobs could be lost while they wait for details of a… Read more Audio

5:14 PM.A doctors' union fears the Waitematā District Health Board is covering up mistakes that led to seven of its staff contracting Covid-19.

Staff from Waitakere Hospital tested positive for the… Read more Audio

5:17 PM.The promise not to get political over Covid-19 has gone out the window, with tempers running high in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

The Prime Minister was forced to defend a controversial memo her… Read more Audio

5:21 PM.The health system has received a huge cash boost in an early budget announcement, in part to help it catch up because of Covid-19.

The government will give more than $4 billion to District Health… Read more Audio

5:25 PM.Principals are pondering what to do about bullrush, assemblies and drinking fountains under alert level 2.

They have to ensure the 800,000 children who go back to school on Monday do not break the… Read more Audio

5:29 PM.The Prime Minister says rolling tangihanga will be allowed under alert level two, after backlash from Māori over a limit of 10 people.

On Monday Jacinda Ardern said the tangi and funeral limit would… Read more Audio

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

5:41 PM.Future ownership of the media company Stuff remains unclear after a tumultuous day on the markets yesterday, and fresh revelations that other buyers are waiting in the wings.

The government is… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.Beauticians, dentists and barbers are getting ready to get back to work, but they are also having to get ready PPE gear for working in close contact with their clients.

Many small businesses have… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.Renovations on a heritage building in New Plymouth have set tongues wagging after they revealed signage dating back to when the city only had four-digit phone numbers.

Stories have emerged about a… Read more Video, Audio

6:06 PM.The Tourism Minister is not up to the job and the Prime Minister should take over the portfolio, according to one tour operator.

Haka Tourism offers adventure tours throughout the country, including… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis does not appear to be up to the job and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern should take over the portfolio, a tour operator says, as the industry faces collapse due to… Read more Video, Audio

6:25 PM.Under Covid-19 lockdown, we learnt how to queue at the shops. So what will a trip to the supermarket look like under level 2? Countdown's Kiri Hannifin talks to Lisa Owen. Read more Video, Audio