Checkpoint for Thursday 25 June 2020

5:07 PM.The Health Minister struck a starkly different tone today, showering the Director-General of Health with compliments - and even an offer of flowers.

But there was no apology for his comments… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.If David Clark vacated the job of Health Minister, who could or would want to slide into a set of shoes that have made a few missteps?

It's no secret the Opposition's gunning for the minister to be… Read more Audio

5:18 PM.St John paramedics say they're absolutely gutted that their employer has backtracked on its promise to pay weekend and overnight shift rates.

The ambulance service says it's facing a large deficit… Read more Audio

5:23 PM.AJ Hackett bungy's owners were jumping for joy after news the company would receive $10.2 million in government help to get back on its feet.

But questions are being raised over whether the company… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.Qantas is slashing at least 6,000 jobs, and says it needs to become a "smaller airline" because of the pandemic.

The Australian national carrier says its strategy will save $15 billion over three… Read more Audio

5:34 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:39 PM.Northland and Auckland got a desperately needed downpour overnight but parts of the Coromandel got too much, causing flooding and slips.

Farmers woke up with new ponds in their paddocks and flood… Read more Audio

5:41 PM.There is concern raising the bar to get a Covid-19 test has come too early, as winter ills surge and recent border lapses play on people's minds.

Today is the first day the Ministry of Health no… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.The Supreme Court has been told the Peter Ellis criminal appeal should be heard despite his death, in order to provide finality to the case and restore his mana.

If the appeal is granted, it could… Read more Video, Audio

5:49 PM.Political parties are ramping up their electioneering, with Hawke's Bay the battleground for the hearts and minds of voters today.

While National leader Todd Muller was wooing farmers in rural… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.It's been dubbed Canterbury's little seaside community who never gave up.

Nine years in the making, it was Redcliffs School''s grand re-opening today after earthquake damage rendered the old site… Read more Video, Audio

6:09 PM.National's change in leader has helped the party claw back some political points.

The latest 1News Colmar Brunton poll has revealed a boost for the party - but it's still not enough for them to win… Read more Video, Audio

6:17 PM.There are three new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today, while two people have now recovered from the disease. One of the cases was flagged yesterday, a woman isolating in a hotel in Rotorua.

And… Read more Audio

6:22 PM.Auckland Council has today been grilling its own water company, Watercare, over the management of the region's water shortage.

At a council meeting this morning, Watercare said the city is… Read more Audio

6:25 PM.Cautious optimism is the mood at New Zealand Football as they prepare to find out the fate of their joint bid with Australia to host the 2023 Women's World Cup.

At 4am Friday, either the trans-Tasman… Read more Audio