Checkpoint for Friday 30 November 2012

6:48 PM.Another Auckland iwi is due to sign a Treaty settlement with the Crown - which will return volcanic cones, islands and reserves to mana whenua; The new Chief Executive of the Ministry of Maori… Read more Audio

6:40 PM.The first of The Hobbit movies had its premiere in Wellington this week. Audio

6:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:25 PM.The Government has bought its first lot of land for a revamped Christchurch city centre, but with only three properties secured today, has seven hundred and fifty eight to go. Audio

6:22 PM.An economist says the house building market is continuing to recover gradually, despite slipping last month. Audio

6:17 PM.The Labour Party's ruling council has been meeting today to put into place the constitutional changes its annual conference endorsed two weeks ago. Audio

6:12 PM.Two lectures about a race of short, extinct humans are going ahead at Te Papa tomorrow but woe betide any of the scientists who refer to them as hobbits. Audio

5:57 PM.A Tauranga man who was prosecuted for offensive behaviour for exercising naked in a public park, has won his appeal. Audio

5:52 PM.A Coroner says the Conservation Department must do more to warn people about a swimming spot near Wanaka where a boy was pinned to the rocks for three hours by a waterfall. Audio

5:48 PM.Another Auckland iwi is due to sign a Treaty settlement with the Crown - which will return volcanic cones, islands and reserves to mana whenua; The new Chief Executive of the Ministry of Maori… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.The Palestinian territories will for the first time be recognised as a state following an overwhelming vote at the General Assembly today. Audio

5:45 PM.The leaders of a Northland rates rebellion say a legal opinion has confirmed their view that the Kaipara District Council's rate demands are unlawful. Audio

5:38 PM.The man who defrauded more than three million dollars from his victims, including former casino executives and the president of the National Party, has been found guilty on all charges. Audio

5:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:25 PM.The controversial super-brothel planned for downtown Auckland has been given the green light. Audio

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

5:15 PM.Power bills for about half a million customers around the country could rise significantly after the Commerce Commission announced the new maximum price rises that lines companies can charge. Audio

5:05 PM.Within 45 minutes of the launch of the first ever trading on the stock exchange by dairy giant Fonterra, 75 million dollars' of Fonterra Shareholders Fund units had changed hands at a price as high as… Read more Audio

5:00 PM.Demand pushes Fonterra higher at sharemarket launch;Households could face power increases;Super-brothel given planning approval;Man behind a bogus bid to buy Sky City Casino is found guilty;Legal… Read more Audio