Rowan Quinn

There's been a large fire at Sir Peter Jackson's film studios in the Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie. Audio

Checkpoint Top Stories for Thursday 30 September 2010. Audio

The new way to giveway at intersections, Northland's humpback whale is rescued and Australia's top model hits rock bottom. Audio

Plans for fast-tracked liquor licences for the Rugby World Cup have been slammed as irresponsible for a country already awash with alcohol. Audio

A push for a downtown Auckland rail loop could be one of the first chances for the powerful new super city to flex its muscles against the government. Audio

Liquor authorities says no amount of protest from a South Auckland community could have stopped a controversial bottle shop opening there. Audio

Hundreds of candidates will begin jostling for places at the starting line of Auckland's super city race when nominations for the new council and local boards open tomorrow. Audio

High numbers of emergency patients at North Shore hospital have many waiting for treatment on beds in corridors. Audio

Auckland's Victoria Park Market looks close to a long-promised revamp of that could turn the former rubbish depot into an upmarket shopping spot. Audio

A man is hospital after the police in West Auckland shot him in a dramatic armed incident in last night. Audio

There are renewed calls for arming the police force. It's been revealed a man found dying in an Auckland driveway ten days ago was shot with the same model of powerful, unrestricted air gun used to… Audio

The Police Association is calling on the government to act urgently to restrict the use of lethal weapons that can be bought over the counter, following a fatal shooting last week in South Auckland. Audio

The head of the Drug foundation says the super city mayoral race is the wrong place to debate drug law reform. Audio

Greenpeace says its disturbing that Chelsea sugar is about to be taken over by one of the world's biggest and palm oil companies. Audio

It's just over three months from the super city election day and Auckland has one of the worst rates in the country of people enroling to vote. Audio

The man who killed a woman in front of her eight year old son will spend at least 12 years in jail but her family say that will do nothing to ease their pain. Audio

Christopher Shadrock is due to be sentenced today for the running down and killing of Joanne Wang outside a mall in South Auckland June 2008. Audio

John Banks and Len Brown may be hogging the super city headlines but there are dozens more elected seats that need to be filled by November the first. Audio

The woman fronting a Chinese bid to buy the Crafar farms is hoping a deal made with creditors of her former company will be enough to avoid bankruptcy. Audio

A bill to fast-track special liquor licenses and other consents for the Rugby World Cup is being criticised for being a waste of time and open to abuse. Audio