Checkpoint for Thursday 8 September 2011

6:57 PM.The Agriculture Minister says the sustainable way New Zealand's plantation forests are cut down and processed, gives the sector an advantage in overseas markets. Audio

6:53 PM.The Government says it won't bow to pressure to introduce further drug driving tests. Audio

6:51 PM.Some Pacific leaders at this week's Forum have expressed their frustration over the pace of regional and international trade deals. Audio

6:47 PM.Northland Health says 50 per cent of the meningitis cases diagnosed in the region in recent weeks have been Maori children; A Waikeria prison manager credits Women's Refuge workers with reforming the… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.Calls for urgent action on suicide prevention fell on deaf ears at Parliament today. Audio

6:40 PM.Hundreds of scientists have joined forces to criticise the Government about a lack of funding for junior researchers. Audio

6:36 PM.An alarm's being sounded about cooling systems that use highly dangerous gases, after an inquest into a firefighter's death at a Waikato coolstore. Audio

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

6:28 PM.The Fish and Game Council wants to stop overseas guides operating in New Zealand and hike up the price of a fishing licence. Audio

6:25 PM.The troubled wine maker, New Zealand Wine Company, has reported a wider annual loss, as it struggles to combat a wine glut and the high New Zealand dollar. Audio

6:16 PM.The group of schools opposing national standards in reading writing and maths has given up in the face of a Ministry ultimatum, but one school that might still resist says it's in an invidious… Read more Audio

6:12 PM.Hundreds of people with green-zoned homes in Christchurch are pushing to be red zoned instead - afraid that even if the land really is safe, the value of their houses is not. Audio

6:08 PM.The Pacific Island forum leaders have just released their official communique for this year's summit. Audio

5:55 PM.The National MP Tau Henare is denying accusations of road rage, but the driver who made them has taken her complaint to the highest level. Audio

5:52 PM.The first overhaul of the country's drug laws in 40 years will go ahead minus any change towards making cannabis legal for medical use. Audio

5:49 PM.A Waikeria prison manager says Womens' Refuge workers are changing the minds and lives of violent inmates at Waikeria; Northland Health says 50% of the meningitis cases diagnosed in the region in… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.On the eve of the Rugby World Cup, Auckland Mayor Len Brown is urging people to plan ahead to avoid missing out on the festivities. Audio

5:43 PM.No trace has been found of four people killed in the February 22 earthquake. Audio

5:40 PM.The Minister of Finance has hit back at a report showing New Zealand's economic competitiveness has slipped since the Government came to power. Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:28 PM.More than 300 people have been arrested in a two month police operation targeting tinnie houses across the country. Audio

5:26 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:23 PM.Darren Hunt from the Ministry of Health is responsible for dealing with infectious diseases. Audio

5:21 PM.Health officials are taking expert advice on containing a deadly meningitis outbreak in Northland. Audio

5:17 PM.The Pike River coal company's former safety manager Neville Rockhouse struggled to hold back tears today as he recalled realising his son Ben was still in the mine in the hours after last year's… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.The country's 4,000 unreinforced masonry buildings need at least two billion dollars of upgrading to make them safer in an earthquake, more than the buildings themselves are worth. Audio

5:07 PM.A Columbian woman who was smuggling more than half a kilo of cocaine inside her body has died in Auckland Hospital after one of the 26 packages burst. Audio

5:00 PM.A Colombian drug smuggler dies in Auckland with the stash inside her. Two billion dollars needed to strengthen the country's brick and stone buildings and more than 300 people have been arrested in a… Read more Audio