Checkpoint for Wednesday 29 August 2012

6:53 PM.Two-thousand jars of British marmite are stuck on a wharf at Lyttleton while the importer wrangles with an unrelenting Sanitarium. Audio

6:49 PM.An independent assessor has criticised the way the Ministry of Social Development reviewed the performance of the Waipareira Trust's provision of services for at-risk families with babies; Maori have… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.The Transport Agency is to spend more than 12 billion dollars during the next three years on the country's land transport system. Audio

6:40 PM.One hundred or so people who live in Christchurch's port hills have faced off with earthquake recovery leaders in a heated debate over zoning decisions. Audio

6:36 PM.The Education Review Office has taken a swipe at schools saying principals are too soft on teachers and too many schools are ignoring its recommendations. Audio

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

6:20 PM.News from the business sector. Audio

6:17 PM.Government ministers have challenged Opposition MPs to support National's economic and welfare policy if they are really committed to reducing child poverty. Audio

6:14 PM.The Trade Minister, Tim Groser, has put his hand up for the top job in international trade, the head of the World Trade Organisation. Audio

6:12 PM.Listening to that was the Labour MP for the West Coast, Damien O'Connor. Audio

6:08 PM.The shock of job losses throughout the state owned coal company Solid Energy is starting to sink in. Audio

5:56 PM.More than a thousand people marched to the steps of Parliament today in support of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage. Audio

5:53 PM.The Prime Minister John Key says it's a reality that China's presence is growing throughout the Pacific and around the world - and there's not much New Zealand can do about it. Audio

5:49 PM.Maori have asked to become a member of a sub-group of the Pacific Islands Forum; An independent assessor has criticised the way the Ministry of Social Development reviewed the performance of the… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.Our correspondent Simon Marks spoke to us from the convention, just after Ann Romney finished her speech. Audio

5:41 PM.Schools are being told to do a better job of teaching and that too many of them are simply forgetting about their students. Audio

5:36 PM.Hurricane Isaac has crashed ashore in southeast Louisiana bringing with it a dangerous storm surge. Audio

5:35 PM.More than two hundred West Coast miners are in limbo over their jobs this evening with Solid Energy announcing it's reviewing the future of the Spring Creek underground coal mine. Audio

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

5:28 PM.The internet tycoon Kim Dotcom is hailing another legal victory, with a high court judge this afternoon granting him access to six million dollars of his own money. Audio

5:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:18 PM.The Government's announced it's suspending local government elections in Kaipara until 2015 - in the wake of a highly critical report on the debt-ridden Kaipara district council. Audio

5:14 PM.Apprehensive, frightened and subdued. That's how Stewart Murray Wilson is feeling on his first day out of jail in almost 20 years, according to those who've been with him. Audio

5:10 PM.A union organiser with the EPMU, Garth Elliot says the company is looking at four or five options at Spring Creek. Audio

5:07 PM.Misery today for Huntly and Greymouth with hundreds of coal miners learning they stand to lose their jobs. Audio

5:00 PM.Hundreds of coal miners brace themseves for job cuts. An apprehensive Stewart Murray Wilson keeps his head down in Whanganui and it's goodbye to the debt ridden Kaipara Council. Audio