Checkpoint for Wednesday 8 May 2013

6:54 PM.The United States and South Korea have vowed to keep up their guard and not reward North Korea's recent bad behaviour or threats of war. Audio

6:51 PM.New restrictions on log burners in Christchurch mean locals wanting one will have to wait at least a year because the approved model isn't on the market yet. Audio

6:47 PM.Parliament's Speaker has officially declared the seat of the late Parekura Horomia vacant, and a date has been announced for a by-election in his former electorate of Ikaroa-Rawhiti; Ngai Tuhoe… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.The Reserve Bank is tightening lending rules to safeguard the financial system from rising housing prices, but the move will hit home buyers in the pocket. Audio

6:38 PM.A Tuakau man accused of importing pseudoephedrine from Thailand has had the number of charges against him dropped on the first day of his trial today, including being a member of an organised criminal… Read more Audio

6:35 PM.Children's behaviour and school trustees are the targets for an extra 80 million dollars from the government over the next four years. Audio

6:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:27 PM.Hellaby Holdings is defending the time it took to make its much foreshadowed purchase of the industrial services company Contract Resources. Audio

6:22 PM.Three activists who broke into the Waihopai spy base want a full civil Trial to decide whether they are liable for damages. Audio

6:18 PM.The three young women who escaped from ten years of captivity in the American city of Cleveland, have been reunited with their families after undergoing medical checks at a local hospital. Audio

6:14 PM.In a pre-budget speech, the Labour leader David Shearer has said next week's budget will be one for the boardroom, not the smoko room. Audio

6:09 PM.The Prime Minister has pulled his support for the National list, MP Aaron Gilmore, saying text messages don't match the version of a dinner that Mr Gilmore's given. Audio

5:55 PM.The mayor of Timaru pleaded with MPs at Parliament today to remove party pills and legal highs from dairies as soon as possible. Audio

5:52 PM.Martin Deakin from Tait Communications is with us. Audio

5:50 PM.The South island has been hit by more job losses, with cuts proposed by Solid Energy and Tait Communications today. Audio

5:46 PM.Parliament's Speaker has officially declared the seat of the late Parekura Horomia vacant, and a date has been announced for a by-election in his former electorate of Ikaroa-Rawhiti; Ngai Tuhoe… Read more Audio

5:43 PM.The Education Minister, Hekia Parata, has indicated some education programmes will lose money in next week's budget. Audio

5:36 PM.The Reserve Bank has admitted it has again intervened in the currency markets to bring down the New Zealand dollar. Audio

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

5:28 PM.The Act Leader, John Banks, will fight accusations he took donations from Kim Dotcom and Sky City, and declared them as anonymous. Audio

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

5:21 PM.The Reserve Bank is tightening lending rules to safeguard the financial system from rising housing prices, but the move will hit home buyers in the pocket. Audio

5:14 PM.The state-owned coal miner Solid Energy is cutting another 105 jobs from its 15 hundred strong workforce, with office workers and managers facing the axe. Audio

5:10 PM.John Key has refused to be interviewed on Checkpoint about Mr Gilmore's future. Our political editor Brent Edwards is with us. Audio

5:07 PM.The Prime Minister has pulled the plug on his support for the National list, MP Aaron Gilmore, following the release of texts about what he told a waiter. Audio

5:00 PM.The Prime Minister pulls his support of Aaron Gilmore.Solid Energy cuts another 100 jobs and John Banks goes to court. Audio