Nita Blake Persen

Living in isolation isn't new for the residents of the Chathams - but being completely cut off during the lockdown has been hard going, even for them.

The challenges of losing loved ones and getting… Video, Audio

With all eyes on next week's Budget, new figures show the bite of Covid-19 on people's jobs - with about 40,000 people going on the dole since lockdown.

The government is putting the finishing… Audio

As we move closer to the more relaxed alert level 2, New Zealanders are starting to shift their focus from surviving lock down, to the exciting freedoms and possibilities that level 2 will bring.

RNZ… Video, Audio

A recent surge of cars and trucks on the roads has provided a much needed boost for towns who rely on travellers stopping to shop.

Data from the Transport Agency show a four-fold increase in heavy… Video, Audio

Those 'shredding for summer' have had their work out plans dramatically curtailed after lockdown closed gyms and studios across the country.

As New Zealand drops down the levels, gyms will be opening… Audio

Food businesses say their perishable goods are spoiling as courier drivers are run off their feet and can't carry them fast enough.

One courier firm has launched an app to recruit enough drivers to… Audio

A Christchurch man is pleading for government officials exempt him from quarantine, so that he can see his dying wife one last time.

Mining contractor Bernie Ryan returned from Australia on Sunday… Audio

A drop in the demand for oil during lockdown has created a backlog of oil tankers at Marsden Point refinery near Whangarei.

The ships are waiting to drain their massive tanks of crude oil, but as… Audio

News from the business sector, including a market report. Video, Audio

A New Zealand man working onboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship says a crew member, who later tested positive for Covid-19 stayed on the ship between voyages in early March as passengers disembarked… Video, Audio

Principals fear some students won't return to school at all after lockdown because they've been forced to get full-time jobs to support their families through the pandemic.

It has been almost two… Audio

The owner of the bar at the centre of Matamata's Covid-19 cluster says he feels partly responsible for the outbreak in his community. 

The cluster - one of the biggest in New Zealand - grew to 77… Video, Audio

The government has released thousands of pages of documents around its Covid-19 decisions on Friday afternoon.

The documents include papers, minutes and key Covid-19 advice given to government up to… Video, Audio

Courier drivers may be able to argue for better pay, holiday and sick leave and generally better working conditions following a ruling by the Employment Court on Thursday.

The court has found an… Audio

How do New Zealanders feel about spending another week in lockdown? 

Checkpoint reporter Nita Blake-Persen has been speaking with locals in Auckland's Grey Lynn park. Video, Audio

Several private schools are among the tens of thousands of businesses receiving the government's wage subsidy, with the total bill now nearing $10 billion.

More than 85,000 businesses have been… Audio

Former travel managers, bar staff, event crew, and lighting technicians are among the dozens of staff who have started jobs stacking shelves at a new Countdown supermarket.

The Auckland store is New… Video, Audio

If you are headed for a walk down round the block this week you may notice some furry little faces popping up in windows.

That is because a big nationwide teddy bear hunt is underway - albeit one… Video, Audio