Checkpoint for Wednesday 1 December 2010

6:57 PM.The mayor of Christchurch Bob Parker has heralded the arrival of a new budget airline to the city as a much needed boost for tourism. Audio

6:54 PM.The safety of a popular swimming spot on Auckland's North Shore is once again being called into question. Audio

6:51 PM.We're continuing our look at whether President Obama's recent trip to Asia affirmed American influence or exposed the limits of American power. Audio

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

6:38 PM.A massive shake-up is underway for the pork industry with sow crates being phased out within the next five years. Audio

6:35 PM.The Police Minister says the Leader of the Opposition, should examine his own actions before accusing her of political interference, over the appointment of a new Commissioner. Audio

6:32 PM.An update from the RNZ sports team. Audio

6:25 PM.Spring has finally arrived in the housing market with the number of homes listed for sale last month surging to a two and a half year high. Audio

6:22 PM.A Taranaki oil and gas engineering firm, Fitzroy Engineering, has been sold to a Malaysian-listed company, Dialog Group Berhart, for more than 20 million dollars. Audio

6:19 PM.Angela Wasley who lives in Avonside isn't surprised to learn that her house is in Zone C. Audio

6:15 PM.The owners of more than three-thousand properties damaged by the Canterbury earthquake have been told the repair job could take nearly three years. Audio

6:11 PM.The recovery teams at the Pike River Coal Mine have yet to start the machine they hope will make the mine safe to enter. Audio

6:07 PM.West Coasters from all over New Zealand are heading home in their hundreds, to support friends and families grieving for the 29 men lost in the Pike River Coal mine disaster. Audio

5:56 PM.New Zealand and Australia may still quibble over Russell Crowe and Phar Lap but now the Oxford English Dictionary has settled at least one argument: the pavlova is a New Zealand invention. Audio

5:51 PM.Opposition parties accuse the Government of aligning itself too closely with the United States in climate change talks, a move they say could slow or even halt progress on a new climate treaty. Audio

5:47 PM.A big shake-up is underway with sow crates being phased out within the next five years, and a ruling that in two years time farmers will only be allowed to keep pregnant animals in the crates for four… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:41 PM.A convicted fraudster who was a director of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority is under further scrutiny. Audio

5:36 PM.The safety of a popular swimming spot on Auckland's North Shore is once again being called into question. Audio

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

5:27 PM.The Labour Party has published a survey it says shows parents will be paying more for less as a result of government funding cuts to some pre-schools. Audio

5:24 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.A big shake-up is underway for the pork industry with sow crates being phased out within the next five years. Audio

5:15 PM.Canterbury earthquake victims with the most damaged homes could have to wait more than two and half years for their houses to be fixed - but one owner says her problems are nothing compared to the… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.Our reporter Rowan Quinn is at the Omoto Racecourse where tomorrow's memorial service will be held. Audio

5:08 PM.West Coasters from all over New Zealand are heading home in their hundreds, to support friends and families grieving for the 29 men lost in the Pike River Coal mine disaster. Audio

5:08 PM.West Coasters from all over New Zealand are heading home in their hundreds, to support friends and families grieving for the 29 men lost in the Pike River Coal mine disaster. Audio

5:00 PM.Hundreds of West Coasters return home for the Pike River National Memorial. A long wait for quake damaged houses to be repaired in Canterbury and a big shake-up is underway for the pork industry with… Read more Audio