Checkpoint for Friday 4 July 2025

5:44 PM.Some have rugby or football as their sport of choice, but there is a group in Auckland who spend their free time donning full suits of medieval armour and battling it out with swords and shields… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.United Kingdom correspondent Edward O'Driscoll spoke to Lisa Owen about the BCC which has said it will no longer live broadcast "high-risk" performances after the controversy over Bob Vylan's… Read more Audio

5:36 PM.News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio

5:33 PM.Scott Robertson has named an intriguing side to take on France under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium. One day out from the first All Black test of the season and one debutant cutting his teeth this… Read more Audio

5:24 PM.Do you know why your health insurance premiums are paying for someone elses operation? The cost of insurances have shot up recently; Stats NZ figures show as at March last year house insurance was up… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.Tasman mayor Tim King gave telecommunications companies a serve at a community meeting in Wakefield earlier in the week, calling the time it was taking to get residents back on line an "epic cock up,"… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Checkpoint can reveal dozens of supermarket workers are facing redundancy after a fire destroyed the New World Victoria Park in central Auckland. Audio

4:50 PM.People in the flooded Tasman and Taranaki districts are starting a mammoth clean up, after heavy rain caused widespread flooding and slips to farms and properties.The recovery is expected to cost… Read more Audio

4:46 PM.A home insurance hike of 300% over the past five years has left one Napier man shocked. Bluff Hill homeowner Harry Machiela says he's used to muttering expletives when the letter comes each year, but… Read more Audio

4:35 PM.Dunedin is gearing up to host the first All Blacks test of the year and local fans are confident the home side can take care of a depleted French team in Otepoti. A couple of Otago players are set to… Read more Audio

4:32 PM.Friendships will be put to one side this weekend when the Black Ferns take on the Black Ferns XV in a trial match in Whangarei on Saturday afternoon. Players admitted the hits at training have had a… Read more Audio

4:25 PM.New Zealand's top female professional frisbee golf player is off to compete at the world champs in Finland later this month. Also known as disc golf players throw a frisbee into a series of metal… Read more Audio

4:17 PM.Asia correspondent Adam Hancock spoke to Lisa Owen about the dozens of people still missing after a ferry sinking near Balie, as well as residents on a set of remote Japanese islands being shaken by… Read more Audio

4:07 PM.20% of New Zealanders are struggling to pay their power bills with 11% cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer New Zealand's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of… Read more Audio