Checkpoint for Monday 13 December 2021

5:07 PM.Regions in red level protections will move to orange at the end of December, the government has announced.

The only exception is Northland, which will stay in red until cabinet next reviews the… Read more Video, Audio

5:14 PM.So Auckland will stay in the red zone until midnight on December 30. Our reporter Louise Ternouth is in Onehunga.

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5:17 PM.Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Steve Smith says the decision to keep the region in red level limits is not what he was expecting, "and certainly not what we were hoping for".

"Any form… Read more Video, Audio

5:23 PM.Thousands of people are still without vaccine passes, waiting for their overseas jabs to be added to New Zealand register.

When the Ministry of Health was swamped in the weeks leading up to the… Read more Audio

5:26 PM.Auckland Mayor Phil Goff has taken an optimistic view on the move to the orange Covid protection level at the end of December.

"I'm not surprised because the government has exercised caution. And… Read more Video, Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6286533065001 Video, Audio

5:40 PM.Tech companies say thousands more overseas recruits are needed to help offset a critical skills shortage exacerbated by border closures.

The government is granting six hundred border exceptions to… Read more Audio

5:43 PM.Hipkins has told Checkpoint government would give "at least a week's notice" if they change the decision around reopening the border for travellers from Australia.

"We set a check-in time and what we… Read more Video, Audio

5:51 PM.Unvaccinated rugby players have been kicked to touch with vaccine passes needed to play club rugby from next year. New Zealand Rugby says it will ensure games can go ahead at all three traffic light… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.A Northland big cat sanctuary which has been closed to the public for nearly eight years is preparing to roar back into life tomorrow - this time with strict safety measures in place.

Whangārei's… Read more Video, Audio

6:06 PM.Auckland is set to shift to the orange light setting - but not before Christmas.

The rules won't relax until the dying days of the year - kicking in from New Year's Eve.

The same is true for every… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.The Lakes DHB which covers Rotorua and Taupō districts will move to orange zone on 30 December.

Torben Landl from the Two Mile Sailing Club in Taupō talks to Lisa Owen.

  Read more Video, Audio

6:13 PM.Renting a home is getting more expensive, particularly in Hawke's Bay where rent prices have increased 20.4 percent in a year.

Massey University's latest Rental Report shows a 9.4 percent rent… Read more Audio

6:16 PM.In Central Otago some of New Zealand's most endangered animals have long called the country's coldest and driest climate home.

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