Checkpoint for Wednesday 8 February 2012

6:48 PM.The head of the commercial arm of Te Pumautanga o Te Arawa Trust says many Iwi are keen to invest in state asset shares - but not at the expense of losing treaty provisions in SOE legislation; The… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.An Australian scientist's call to release elephants in the outback has provoked both praise and scorn. Audio

6:36 PM.The former US senator Rick Santorum has rejuvenated his presidential hopes with overwhelming victories over the front-runner Mitt Romney in Republican nominating contests in Missouri and Minnesota. Audio

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

6:29 PM.A young diver says he kept an anxious eye on half a dozen killer whales as he rescued one of their mates entangled in the rope of a cray pot off the Coromandel Coast. Audio

6:19 PM.Auckland's air is being polluted by emissions from ships. Audio

6:16 PM.Transpower is defending raising its charges to pay for power grid upgrades. Audio

6:12 PM.An American Middle East expert says it's hypocritical for the US to be outraged by China and Russia's veto of the latest UN resolution condemning the violence in Syria. Audio

6:10 PM.An historian says whoever desecrated the grave of New Zealand's first leader is ignorant and has no idea that he fought for the rights of Maori. Audio

6:07 PM.The two Maori tribes with major hydro electric schemes in their region insist they've never given up their right to claim ownership of water. Audio

5:54 PM.Tension over the Falkland Islands has ratcheted up a notch with Argentina announcing its making a formal complaint to the United Nations accusing Britain of militarising the waters around the disputed… Read more Audio

5:50 PM.Almost half the women expected to give birth in Whanganui each year may be forced to travel to Palmerston North for specialist maternity care under a new plan released today by the Whanganui and… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.The President of the New Zealand Jewish Council isn't backing down over his reaction to holocaust comments made by a Taranaki language lecturer; The head of the commercial arm of Te Pumautanga o Te… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.The Southern Steel netball franchise is seeking a bailout and warning the sport's financial model needs an urgent overhaul if it's to survive. Audio

5:42 PM.The Transport agency has been accused of dishonesty, and lacking intelligence, in contemplating a contentious change to an Auckland motorway project. Audio

5:38 PM.The brother of a woman killed 20 years ago says it's possible her murderer may come after him now he's out of prison. Audio

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

5:26 PM.Opposition parties have labelled the increase in the minimum wage lousy, saying it doesn't go nearly far enough. Audio

5:24 PM.To the US now, where it's Rick Santorum is giving Mitt Romney a run for his money in at least two states as the battle to pick a Republican presidential nominee heats up. Audio

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

5:18 PM.The Government has revealed average shareholder return on the four energy companies it's putting up for sale was 18-point-five percent a year over the past five years. Audio

5:14 PM.Roger Pikia, the chief executive of Te Arawa Group Holdings, was at the first of the SOE sale hui at Rotorua earlier today. Audio

5:11 PM.An angry crowd in Rotorua today left the Finance Minister Bill English in no doubt that Maori oppose the sale of state assets. Audio

5:07 PM.The Pike River Royal Commission has heard the most likely cause of the fireball which killed all 29 miners was from sparks which ignited methane gas when the power supply to the water pumps was turned… Read more Audio

5:00 PM.Evidence an electric spark ignited the fireball which killed the 29 Pike River miners. An angry crowd in Rotorua today left the Finance Minister Bill English in no doubt that Maori oppose the sale of… Read more Audio