Checkpoint for Friday 18 June 2021

5:07 PM.Smoke and the sound of burnouts filled the air in a central Auckland suburb on Friday as hundreds of patched gang members turned out to farewell a senior Head Hunters member.

On bikes and by foot… Read more Video, Audio

5:11 PM.The handbrake's gone on Ports of Auckland's controversial automated system for unloading freight containers because of safety concerns.

On Thursday a giant robotic straddle carrier that moves the… Read more Video, Audio

5:19 PM.The Prime Minister has received her first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine today, saying it was "pretty pain free".

At the same time there is still some frustration and worry amongst over-65s in… Read more Video, Audio

5:24 PM.It appears plenty of New Zealanders turned to the bottle to get through the ups and downs of last year's Covid-19 rollercoaster.

New data, provided to Checkpoint, shows just how out of control… Read more Audio

5:29 PM.Health authorities in Fiji have announced another spike in coronavirus cases, most of them linked to existing clusters.

Ninety-one infections and one death were confirmed last night. There are more… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.The funeral for a gang leader saw one of Auckland's main roads jammed up by patched member blocking four lanes - forcing parts of Grey Lynn to close down and traffic to be diverted.

They were out in… Read more Video, Audio

5:41 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6259407270001 Video, Audio

5:45 PM.Air New Zealand is expecting to continue losing money over the next year or so until international travel starts coming back.

The national carrier is forecasting its full year loss to be about $450… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.The opposition is renewing its call for purpose built MIQ facilities in the wake of an independent review of the current stock.

The review - has made 82 recommendations to ensure the current managed… Read more Audio

5:53 PM.Cotton buds, tampon wrappers, used-condoms, hair pins and razorblade-heads. You probably don't want to see any of these items again after being used, let alone washed up on our beaches.

But with… Read more Video, Audio

6:07 PM.Safety concerns have forced Ports of Auckland to suspend its automation progamme, after it lost control of a massive robotic straddle carrier that moves around shipping containers.

In a statement it… Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.Warning: This report may be distressing for some listeners.

A survivor of the adolescent unit at Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital in the 1970s says she was raped by the head of the unit multiple… Read more Audio

6:18 PM.Pole vaulter Eliza McCartney has one last chance to qualify for the Olympics tomorrow.

The 24 year old has been plagued with injuries since winning bronze at the Rio Games in 2016.

She has twice… Read more Audio