Checkpoint Podcast Options

4:40 PM.Recruiters have said the brain drain is underway, with some people heading overseas to get away from New Zealand's tough job market. Dozens of companies and government agencies have announced… Read more Audio

4:34 PM.Police are on the hunt for three people after a kidnapping on Auckland's North Shore last night. Officers responded to reports of a gunshot, following an altercation at a property on Sunnyhaven Avenue… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.Sam Whitelock has shut the door on a potential return to the All Blacks. The veteran lock has announced he'll retire from all rugby after wrapping up his obligations with French club Pau this season… Read more Audio

4:28 PM.The situation for pet owners may be related to cost of living pressures and this week we've heard about charities struggling to stay afloat as Kiwis pull back their spending. Georgie Hannifin asked… Read more Video, Audio

4:25 PM.Two kittens have been dumped outside a vet clinic in Auckland, with a note saying de-sexing is too expensive. The cats were left in a container which was taped shut. They have now been transferred to… Read more Audio

4:11 PM.The axe is falling on hundreds of jobs in the public sector, with the latest losses looming at Oranga Tamariki and The Ministry of Health. Ministries have been ordered to find between 6.5 and 7.5% in… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.Asia correspondent Per Elinder Liljas speaks to Susana Leiataua about the large earthquake that struck Taiwan today and El Niño contributing to soaring temperatures. Read more Audio

5:44 PM.Australia correspondent Peter Ryan speaks to Lisa Owen about Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese demanding answers from Israel after an Australian aid worker was killed while delivering food… Read more Audio

5:30 PM.At least five aid workers providing food in Gaza have reportedly been killed in an Israeli air strike. An Australian woman is believed to be among the dead World Central Kitchen workers. Israel said… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.The Wallabies are getting another respected Kiwi to boost their rugby ranks. The man known as the Scrum Doctor - Mike Cron - has been added to the Australia coaching staff. Cron joins head coach Joe… Read more Audio

5:16 PM.Stage one of the Government's plan to raise school attendance will be in place by the end of June, according to its work timetable released today. The 36 point action plan details the coalition's… Read more Audio

5:13 PM.Doctors say violence in hospitals is increasing after a brutal attack in Wairarapa Hospital over the weekend. A man armed with a machete carried out the attack on a vistor at the hospital's emergency… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.A back flip on uniform standards means female gymnasts will no longer be penalised for having visbile bra straps and can wear shorts over their leotards. Gymnastics New Zealand has overhauled… Read more Audio

4:54 PM.More than 1000 people have taken part in the 160th commemorations of the battle of Ōrākau today. It comes as the process to return the battle site near Te Awamutu to iwi hands nears its end. Pokere… Read more Audio

4:47 PM.The Wanaka chamber of commerce said Easter trading rules are crazy and need to change, after two local supermarkets broke the law to stay open during the region's busiest weekend of the year. Thanks… Read more Audio

4:42 PM.People who only just had their heads above water, are now slowly drowning, according to a community leader. David Letele has recently had to cull the number of families receiving food parcels from his… Read more Audio

4:33 PM.The government is zeroing in on school attendance and is signaling a crackdown on parents to help get kids to school regularly. Pretoria Gordon went to ask people what the government could do to get… Read more Audio

4:28 PM.Jamie Wall speaks to Lisa Owen about a New Zealand presence in the AFL and Ardie Savea's thoughts about All Blacks getting picked from overseas. Read more Audio

4:22 PM.Wellingtonian John Flux is letting the grass grow under his feet and on the front berm of his Lower Hutt property, not because he is lazy, but for environmental reasons. At its peak, the lush grass… Read more Audio

4:16 PM.United States correspondent Todd Zwillich speaks to Lisa Owen about Florida's Supreme Court ushering in a 6 week abortion ban, the last living survivor of the USS Arizona passing away and… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.A machete attack in the emergency department at Wairarapa Hospital has a prompted calls for a review of security in smaller hospitals around the country. Medical staff and a patient had to disarm the… Read more Audio

5:42 PM.In Australia, crisis talks on the future of cash deliveries to banks and supermarkets are going down to the wire. The cash transit company Armourguard is yet to accept or reject a financial lifeline… Read more Audio

5:36 PM.The Ministry of Pacific Peoples is the latest to face the reality of the Coalition government's cost-cutting, with staff informed of plans to slash the workforce by 40%. Under the proposal, 63… Read more Audio