Checkpoint for Friday 31 October 2025

5:56 PM.In light of Halloween Checkpoint producer Johnny Sutherland spoke to Lisa Owen about the various Kiwi treats that you can't find on New Zealand shelves anymore. Audio

5:44 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about the former Prince Andrew being stripped of all royal titles and privileges, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales winning a… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:32 PM.A major power outage is affecting much of the Far North. Lines company Top Energy says more than 23 thousand homes and businesses are currently without power. CEO of Top Energy Russell Shaw spoke to… Read more Audio

5:31 PM.The Kiwis are chasing redemption, and the Kiwi Ferns want to get one over the best in the world, when rugby league's Pacific Championships return to Auckland. After a week off, the Kiwis face a Tongan… Read more Audio

5:27 PM.Who ever said "be sure to the smell the flowers along the way" probably never sniffed the complex blend of rotting meat, wet dog and sewage; apparently the signature fragrance of Voodoo lillies. It… Read more Audio

5:16 PM.The Waitangi Tribunal is recommending the government expand citizenship rights to second generation Maori born overseas after complaints the current system is racist and ignores tangta whenua's… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Watercare says it is extremely disappointed and sorry that a fault with one its plants saw Auckland oyster farms contaminated and unable to harvest. The Matakana farmers are devastated yet another… Read more Audio

4:53 PM.An epidemiologist says the number of measles cases over the next few days will tell the extent of the outbreak, with cases now linked to a third school. 13 measles cases are confirmed across New… Read more Audio

4:47 PM.There is a crackdown on out-of-district discount-hunting dumpers travelling kilometres to off-load their rubbish at the Waihi tip because it is cheaper. About half the people dropping rubbish at the… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.It may be called a living costs loan, but is it really enough to live on? As the cost of essentials rise rapidly some students say the loans are nowhere near enough to make ends meet. Each year, the… Read more Audio

4:36 PM.A blaze at an old asbestos-filled pub that closed several schools around Palmerston North has been deemed suspicious. Residents say strong winds spread thick smoke from the fire at the once popular… Read more Audio

4:29 PM.Mexican motorsport officials are at odds with New Zealand Formula 1 driver Liam Lawson, after he was involved in a near-miss incident with two marshals who were running on the track to collect debris… Read more Audio

4:26 PM.When you think of first-home buyers, you might imagine young people just starting out and nowhere near the top of the salary ladder. But data shows people able to purchase that first home are earning… Read more Audio

4:15 PM.Asia correspondent Adam Hancock spoke to Lisa Owen about the APEC Summit taking centre stage following Donald Trump and Xi Jinping's trade talks, as well as Indonesia's free school meal programme… Read more Audio

4:06 PM.Huntly is desperate for more police on the beat with businesses forced to play amateur detective, patrolling the streets and filming burglaries in action themselves. In a letter to the Minister of… Read more Audio