Checkpoint for Friday 6 March 2026

5:50 PM.The centre of New Plymouth has been taken over by street artists, musicians, and a whole lot of spray paint this week. The Get Up Festival is back in town for the first time in more than a decade and… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Lucy Thomson spoke to Lisa Owen about UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer holding a press conference on the situation in the Middle East, as well the world's most famous dog… Read more Audio

5:37 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:32 PM.A New Zealand alpine skiing duo will be flying the flag in Italy when the Winter Paralympics start this weekend. The highly experienced Adam Hall and Corey Peters are the only New Zealanders involved… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.The Prime Minister says he is not considering stepping down after a sobering poll result that has the National party dropping into the twenties. Senior national ministers defended Christopher Luxon as… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.A New Zealand logistics company estimates war surcharges could add up to ten million US dollars to its monthly freight costs. The Hormuz strait a vital shipping lane between Iran and Oman is current… Read more Audio

4:56 PM.As Wellington grapples with a wastewater disaster that's pushing 70 million litres of untreated sewage into the sea each day, Christchurch's proposal to pump semi-treated sewage into the ocean for the… Read more Audio

4:50 PM.The US Defense Secretary has said that fire power over Iran is about to surge dramatically. Pete Hegseth was speaking at a joint press conference with the head US Central Command, as Operation Epic… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.A new election is confirmed for the Papatoetoe subdivision of the Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board, after a High Court judge upheld an earlier ruling that voided the outcome of the 2025 local body… Read more Audio

4:36 PM.A former teacher struck off for sexual misconduct was working at an organisation for vulnerable youth for roughly five months, before a ruling detailing her offending was made public. The Teaching… Read more Audio

4:32 PM.The Warriors kick off their season in Auckland on Friday night. A packed Mount Smart is expected as a highly regarded Roosters side await the Wahs. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen. Audio

4:20 PM.Pressure's mounting on Christopher Luxon after a horror poll has his party slumping three points to its lowest level since the Judith Collins era. The Taxpayers' Union Curia poll released today has… Read more Audio

4:16 PM.America correspondent Katie Silver spoke to Lisa Owen about the US Defence Secretary calling for Latin American countries to take more military action against drug cartels. She also spoke about how… Read more Audio

4:08 PM.Students at 16 high schools around the country will have their hearing tested during March; hearing awareness month. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Foundation's screening programme started with five… Read more Audio