Checkpoint for Wednesday 24 October 2012

6:54 PM.One of Parliament's most senior officials says has told MPs a new bill requiring lobbyists to be registered and adhere to a code of ethics, would threaten open democracy at Parliament. Audio

6:51 PM.Some of the people who pushed to decriminalise prostitution say a United Nations report praising New Zealand shows the country was ahead of its time. Audio

6:47 PM.The Kohanga Reo National Trust Board has started its national campaign to talk to its supporters about a report that's suggested the Crown say sorry to Maori pre-schools; An economic consultant says… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.The owner of a safe stolen two years ago has been re-united with the eleven-thousand dollars in cash he had stashed inside. Audio

6:37 PM.The Social Development Minister is hearing stories that beneficiaries are misusing their payment cards to buy food and batteries and then selling those on for cash. Audio

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

6:22 PM.One of the country's largest listed companies believes it's on track for a small rise in profit but says international passenger movements in the first three months have been flat. Audio

6:18 PM.Tensions flared at Parliament today as resthome workers demanded pay parity with those caregivers working in public hospitals. Audio

6:13 PM.The Police Association President Greg O'Connor says the High Court's decision to stay the prosecution of the Red Devils members is disproportionate and unjustified. Audio

6:08 PM.A judge has thrown out serious charges against 21 Nelson gang members because the police faked the arrest and prosecution of an undercover officer. Audio

5:55 PM.The Whangarei man who's been patrolling local rivers has delivered an ultimatum over a farmer he says refuses to keep his cows out of the water. Audio

5:51 PM.Business New Zealand has suggested that extending paid parental leave will discourage employers hiring women and that their skills deteriorate when off work for a long time. Audio

5:48 PM.The Kohanga Reo National Trust Board has started its national campaign to talk to its supporters about a report that's suggested the Crown say sorry to Maori pre-schools; An economic consultant says… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.Police in New South Wales have raided the home and electoral office of the embattled MP Craig Thomson, who is accused of spending thousands of dollars of union funds on hospitality and prostitutes. Audio

5:35 PM.Thousands of state houses are standing empty for months and even years while thousands of desperate families languish on the waiting list. Audio

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

5:27 PM.New Zealand's largest energy network company is fighting a Commerce Commission finding that it is overcharging customers for delivering natural gas to their homes and factories. Audio

5:25 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.An urgent inquiry has found the Air Force forgot to put an extra pin into oxygen canisters to ensure they wouldn't catch fire, and mislabelled them so they were allowed on board a passenger flight. Audio

5:17 PM.Parliament has been told about two new breaches of client privacy at the Ministry of Social Development. Audio

5:13 PM.The President of the Criminal Bar Association, Auckland barrister Tony Bouchier, worked as an undercover police officer in the late 1970s. He's with us. Audio

5:07 PM.A judge has thrown out serious charges against 21 Nelson gang members because the police faked the arrest and prosecution of an undercover officer. Audio

5:00 PM.A gang drug case is sunk by police deceiving the court. Two more security breaches at Work and Income and New Zealand's largest energy network company is fighting a Commerce Commission finding that it… Read more Audio