Checkpoint for Friday 26 June 2020

5:07 PM.On Friday afternoon a tornado has ripped through the small coastal town of Mangawhai, about an hour and a half north of Auckland. Local Pamela Gervai describes the wild weather to Lisa Owen. Read more Video, Audio

5:09 PM.Queenstown's struggling economy has been given a major shot in the arm, with the government coughing up $85 million to fast-track local projects.

It says the cash it coughs up will unlock a total of… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.Tourism operators are welcoming plans to waive DOC fees so they can work on conservation land for for free for the next year.

Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis announced $25 million has been earmarked to… Read more Video, Audio

5:17 PM.The football community across New Zealand is in celebration mode after the country was awarded the rights to host the 2023 Women's World Cup alongside Australia.

A vote of the FIFA Council in Zurich… Read more Audio

5:22 PM.Queenstown Mayor Jim Boult is welcoming the $85 million government boost for infrastructure projects in Queenstown, saying it is "no panacea" but a big step in the right direction. Read more Video, Audio

5:27 PM.Navy staff at the Devonport Base have welcomed their newest recruit - the HMNZS Aotearoa. 

Measuring the length of two rugby fields and costing more than $500 million, Navy staff say the boat is… Read more Video, Audio

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

5:44 PM.A Marton man is calling for calm after the disappearance of a popular local moggy has angered locals.

Rodney the cat was adopted by the local ITM building supplies store a few years back and was a… Read more Video, Audio

5:50 PM.A witness says he saw birds and roofs being pulled into the vortex of the tornado at Mangawhai on Friday afternoon.

Sam Garratt, who lives in nearby Wellsford, said he was packing up at work when he… Read more Video, Audio

5:55 PM.The Goliath Bird Eater Tarantula is the largest tarantula in the world and can grow to be bigger than two human hands. So we sent our reporter Logan Church, who we later found out is absolutely… Read more Video, Audio

6:06 PM.A five-star hotel opposite a primary school in central Wellington has become the capital's first managed isolation facility.

As five buses of passengers recently arrived from Korea pulled in, they… Read more Video, Audio

6:14 PM.Rodney the cat was adopted by the Marton ITM building supplies store a few years back and was a regular at the checkouts, soaking up pats from customers.

Last week the tabby cat vanished, but after a… Read more Video, Audio

6:23 PM.The Covid-19 crisis has left a much-loved community organisation in South Auckland fighting for its survival.

The Papatoetoe Boxing Club is most well known as the place where New Zealand heavyweight… Read more Video, Audio