Stories by Alex Perrottet

Palliative and aged care doctors say the expanding sector is vastly underfunded and can no longer survive on "cakes and op-shops". Specialists say the government must totally re-think end of life and… Audio

Rival euthanasia groups are trying new tactics to convince New Zealanders on how to vote ahead of the upcoming referendum.

As Kiwis prepare for the October 17 vote on whether competent terminally-ill… Audio

Vegetable growers in Pukekohe say lessons need to be learnt for any future Covid-19 lockdowns, as some essential workers are still being turned away at the border.

The Ministry of Health is swamped… Audio

Frustrated farmers in the country's vegetable heartland have been assured they will now be able to operate, following high-level government intervention.

Covid-19 checkpoints along the… Audio

Most campaigners are breathing a sigh of relief that the election has been delayed another month, giving them precious time to change more minds.

The two referendum topics have been subject to much… Audio

New Zealand's 2020 general election could be life-changing, with two referendum questions for voters to answer, on top of the usual two ticks for parties and electorate MPs.

The Electoral Commission… Video, Audio

Families of people with disabilities lobbying the Prime Minister on the Abortion Bill have found an ally in Labour MP Greg O'Connor.

The Ohariu MP and former police officer has an intellectually… Video, Audio

Two days of national shut-down in Samoa are coming to a close and over 100 vaccination vans are returning to Apia - many from remote villages.

Almost everyone has been staying at home, under… Video, Audio

Returning to Samoa now where just 5,000 people were vaccinated today as the medical teams raced against time to vaccinate the country's population against measles.

People were told to stay at home on… Video, Audio

Samoa went into shutdown today as the death toll from the measles epidemic climbed to 62 and a two-day door to door vaccination campaign got underway.

People were told to stay at home today between… Video, Audio

Five more babies in Samoa have died after contracting measles, bringing the nation's death toll from the measles epidemic to 60.

While the country's immunisation rates have never been high, a… Video, Audio

The family of a 15-month-old Samoan boy denied a measles booster by a South Auckland medical clinic on Monday say their son was given antibiotics for a scratch but denied a vaccine because he was not… Video, Audio

A controversial 'healer' in Samoa, who attacked a Checkpoint crew who tried to talk to him, has been shut down by authorities as the measles crisis escalates. Video, Audio

The head of the New Zealand Breakers basketball franchise says he doesn't see troubled star player Glen Rice Junior playing for the team again.

The former NBA player ran into troubles in his American… Audio

Hundreds of people have descended on Auckland Airport today hoping to snatch a job offer in an en-masse speed dating extravaganza.

Unemployment has ticked up above 4 percent this week, but growth at… Video, Audio

Tuesday's Melbourne Cup is being overshadowed by an expose that one researcher says is shaking the Australian horse-racing industry to its core.

Footage of trained and celebrated racehorses whipped… Video, Audio

Fiji authorities are hosing down widespread rumours of another coup, as civil society groups started warning their members to prepare for unrest. The Fiji Muslim League sent out a memo to all its… Video, Audio

As submissions close on the government's Abortion Legislation Bill, some parents of children with disabilities say they're concerned the bill will lead to more abortions on the grounds of disability. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wouldn't come to them, so several hundred people braved torrential rain to take their message to her electorate office.

Ihumātao protestors took part in a 17km hikoi… Video, Audio

Students at a private training institute have been left in the lurch after it asked the New Zealand Qualifications Authority to cancel its registration.

[embed]https://youtu.be/FlnqO7Ux3x4

The… Video, Audio

New Zealand MPs are set to vote on euthanasia this Wednesday, but 23 of them are still undecided. Medical, legal and ethical experts have their say, including a visiting Canadian doctor who has… Audio

Oranga Tamariki has removed a child from her foster home, with her foster parents saying it's because they're Pasifika and the child is Pākehā. Checkpoint was there when 'Sarah' was uplifted from the… Video, Audio

A man who died when he fell from a moving van on Auckland's Southern Motorway yesterday was a client of Framework Services, a company providing mental health services. The chair of Framework Services… Video, Audio

WATCH: Prominent academic Ekant Veer has been labelled ‘racist’ for using the word 'Pākehā'. Checkpoint reporter Alex Perrottet hit the streets to ask people whether they think it's a loaded word. Video, Audio

A year on from a $5.8 million investment in forestry, the Bay of Plenty village of Minginui is showing seeds of promise, but the 90 jobs initially promised is now being described as 'aspirational'… Video, Audio