Checkpoint for Tuesday 1 September 2020

5:07 PM.Entrepreneur Sam Morgan has walked away from the $100 million CovidCard project, saying he's sick of the bureaucracy and lack of will by the Health Ministry.

But the government has hit back saying it… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.A Rotorua trial of the CovidCard will still go ahead, despite one of its original backers - businessman Sam Morgan and his team - pulling out, Digital Services Minister Kris Faafoi says.

The card… Read more Video, Audio

5:21 PM.The Earthquake Commission (EQC) chief executive says the agency doesn't have the capability to lead any future repair programme. Read more Video, Audio

5:29 PM.Greens' co-leader James Shaw has fronted up with a massive mea culpa over the Green School fiasco, but no solution.

One may be on the horizon though, with the school breaking its silence to tell RNZ… Read more Audio

5:36 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

5:48 PM.It could take months to fully extinguish a scrub fire in the Mackenzie District, even though it's hiding under a blanket of snow right now. 
The fire has ripped through more than 3000 hectares of… Read more Video, Audio

5:48 PM.Some beneficiaries are about to lose more than $60 from their weekly pay, despite demand for food banks and emergency assistance being at record levels.

The government doubled the Winter Energy… Read more Video, Audio

5:53 PM.Warning: content may disturb some listeners.

A woman whose terminally-ill husband chose suicide over a prolonged painful death is urging New Zealanders to allow people the option to die with dignity.

6:07 PM.The chief executive of the volunteer firefighters' association Bill Butzbach has been suspended while allegations of bullying and harassment are investigated.

The complaints relate to incidents… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.The Christchurch mosque shooter has been officially designated a terrorist entity by the Prime Minister.

The designation under New Zealand legislation freezes the assets of terrorist entities and… Read more Audio

6:16 PM.Spring started today with a cold snap to jolt parts of the South Island out of unseasonably warm temperatures.

Heavy snow fell on inland and coastal Canterbury, with a dusting for Ashburton and… Read more Audio

6:25 PM.Almost a year ago to the day, Brook MacDonald broke his back.

The New Zealand downhill mountain biker suffered the worst crash of his career and lay semi-paralysed on the side of a Canadian mountain.