Checkpoint for Tuesday 22 December 2009

5:07 PM.The constable who was shot three times in a confrontation in South Auckland this morning owes his life to his armed colleagues who raced to his rescue getting him to hospital in minutes. Audio

5:12 PM.The country is earning more from overseas than it is paying out for the first time in more than 20 years. Audio

5:20 PM.The Auditor General has found that four Canterbury regional councillors broke the law by voting on proposed water management charges which would affect irrigation costs for their own farms and… Read more Audio

5:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:23 PM.A New Zealander who has been accused of running the world's largest spam gang has today been fined AU$210, 000 by a Federal Court in Brisbane. Audio

5:26 PM.An Australian film-maker is training to swim from Japan to California in the hope of focusing world attention on a massive rubbish dump of plastic floating in the Pacific. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:35 PM.The inquiry by the Independent Police Conduct Authority into the police handling of child abuse cases in Wairarapa will be expanded to cover all New Zealand. Audio

5:37 PM.There's bad news for the Japanese Prime Minister, and Japan prepares for Christmas with a huge amount of lights. Audio

5:39 PM.The Government has just announced that an assistance package for leaky home owners will go to Cabinet in the new year. Audio

5:44 PM.New Zealanders are being told to do something themselves about climate change to make up for the lack of political action at the Copenhagen summit. Audio

5:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:49 PM.The Department of Conservation says it's devastated after the disappearance of several endangered eggs and chicks from New Zealand's rarest breeding bird, the fairy tern. Audio

5:51 PM.If you posted festive season cards to Australia in the past week then there's a good chance they won't get to the recipients in time for Christmas. Audio

5:54 PM.The appointment to the Human Rights Review Tribunal of an outspoken critic of gay rights has sparked some controversy. Audio

5:57 PM.It's the time of year when there's an onslaught of Christmas music - from Cliff Richard to Slade. Vinnie Wylie went in search of the most loved, and loathed, soundtracks to Christmas. Audio

6:07 PM.The constable, who was shot three times in a confrontation in South Auckland this morning, appears to owe his life to his armed colleagues who raced to his rescue - getting him to hospital in minutes.

6:10 PM.Climate scientists say the levels of the greenhouse gas methane in the atmosphere have risen for the first time in three years. Audio

6:14 PM.The U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed an important vote by the Senate as a victory for the American people that brings health care reform closer. Audio

6:17 PM.Returning to our top story, the shooting of a young constable in South Auckland early this morning - Greg O'Connor from the Police Association says he's the seventh officer to be shot in 18 months. Audio

6:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:27 PM.Christmas sales may prove a saviour for some retailers this year with shoppers spending 2.8 billion dollars so far this month. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:42 PM.New research is casting doubt on whether teaching a child to read from the age of five is of any more benefit than starting at age seven. Audio

6:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:49 PM.The owner of a Kapiti Coast pub says he's going to make it difficult for under 20 year olds to patronise his bar, after a group of them vandalised his new premises and drove other customers away with… Read more Audio

6:53 PM.Heavy snow and ice are continung to cause disruption across a wide swathe of Europe. Audio

6:55 PM.Britain and France have announced separate investigations into why several trains broke down in the Channel tunnel on Friday leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Audio

6:58 PM.An investigation has discovered that many of the Romanian orphans who came to international prominence in the 1990's are still in institutional care in conditions which have been condemned by an… Read more Audio