Checkpoint for Friday 7 March 2025

5:42 PM.Auckland's Pasifika Festival is back on the up and up after a difficult few years. After overcoming a number of hurdles, organisers hope the iconic event can remain a fixture of Auckland's central… Read more Audio

5:32 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:28 PM.The White Ferns allrounder notched a crucial century for her side in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. Sports Reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen. Audio

5:24 PM.Chris Hipkins has shuffled his deck of MPs, saying his new-look Labour caucus will be focused on jobs, health, and homes for the 2026 election. The Labour leader delivered his State of the Nation… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.In a speech Simeon Brown laid out his top five priorities for health, including reducing emergency department wait times, clearing a back log of elective surgeries and stabilising the governance of… Read more Audio

4:50 PM.All this week 1200 keen anglers have been battling the elements on Ninety Mile Beach, hoping to win a share of more than $200,000 in prizes. They're taking part in the Snapper Bonanza, said to be the… Read more Audio

4:43 PM.A Bay of Plenty deputy principal says their school lunches are so hot when they arrive that staff have to wear rubber gardening gloves to handle them. Audio

4:37 PM.The announcement by the Health Minister was part of a raft of changes for the public health system. Alongside reinstating the board, Minister Simeon Brown slammed Health NZ for poor leadership - and… Read more Audio

4:31 PM.Super Rugby CEO Jack Mesley has been bailed up to address the concerns of the Fijian Drua team after travel and accommodation issues marred their recent away game against the Hurricanes. Jamie Wall… Read more Audio

4:22 PM.A fund manager has been ordered to compensate a client after the man's investment tanked and he lost almost three thousand dollars in a week. But the client also acted against financial advice. Money… Read more Audio

4:17 PM.Millions of residents across the east coast are anxiously waiting for the arrival of Cyclone Alfred. It will be the first cyclone to hit the region in more than 50 years. The storm is expected to make… Read more Audio

4:07 PM.Auckland Council is looking at converting a big chunk of Takapuna Golf course into a wetland to soak up future floodwaters. Wairau Valley was one of the hardest-hit areas during the 2023 floods with… Read more Audio