Checkpoint for Tuesday 5 March 2013

6:55 PM.A Royal Society of New Zealand paper out today has encouraged language experts who want more teaching of te reo and foreign languages in schools. Audio

6:53 PM.Opposition is growing in Blenheim over the possibility of cuts at Wairau Hospital. Audio

6:49 PM.The Taranaki Regional Council has agreed to hand over a set of small islands off the coast of New Plymouth to Maori as part of two treaty settlements; A western Bay of Plenty hapu says it's been given… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.A Porirua woman finally confessed to stealing nearly half a million dollars from her employer because she was about to be made a church leader. Audio

6:40 PM.Farmers in Hawke's Bay have decided to formally ask the Government to declare the region a drought zone. Audio

6:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:26 PM.Organisers of the Ellerslie Flower Show are hoping visitor numbers will be back to pre-earthquake highs, when it opens in Christchurch tomorrow. Audio

6:23 PM.News from the business sector. Audio

6:15 PM.A critic of the Government's plan to sell shares in the country's power companies says the move is a huge strategic blunder because the assets are grossly under-valued. Audio

6:11 PM.China's big set piece, the National People's Congress, is now underway in Beijing with around 3- thousand delegates in attendance. Audio

6:08 PM.The former Secretary of Education, who returned to England after just thirteen months in the job, has been paid out almost half a million dollars. Audio

5:56 PM.Community workers are praising census workers for scouring Christchurch's red zone to find homeless people so they aren't overlooked in tonight's national population count. Audio

5:52 PM.The Christchurch couple taking their insurance company to the High Court over their earthquake payout have knocked almost a quarter of a million dollars off their claim. Audio

5:49 PM.The Taranaki Regional Council has agreed to hand over a set of small islands off the coast of New Plymouth to Maori as part of two treaty settlements; A western Bay of Plenty hapu says it's been given… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.A teenage bar tender has won almost 14-thousand dollars in compensation after being unfairly sacked for pocketing 12 dollars in unclaimed pokie winnings. Audio

5:36 PM.A graphic video of two men being beaten in Fiji has emerged on the internet amid claims that either the Fiji police or military are behind the attacks. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.A sailor has been kicked out of the Navy and sentenced to six months' detention, for secretly filming women showering and using the toilet while on his first voyage. Audio

5:24 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:22 PM.One critic of the sale says it's a huge strategic blunder by the Government because the assets are grossly under-valued. Audio

5:19 PM.About 35 thousand people had pre-registered for the Mighty River Power share float by 4 oclock this afternoon, with the newly launched website buckling and slowing at times under the pressure. Audio

5:14 PM.At Epsom Girls Grammar in Auckland five teachers have not been paid at all since the start of the year. Audio

5:11 PM.More than a thousand people have protested outside the offices of Government MPs' today angry and frustrated at the ongoing problems with Novopay. Audio

5:08 PM.The former Secretary of Education, who returned to England after just thirteen months in the job, has been paid out almost half a million dollars. Audio

5:00 PM.The woman who clashed with Hekia Parata gets almost half a million dollars. Angry nationwide protests held over the Novopay debacle and is Mighty River Power grossly undervalued ? Audio