Checkpoint for Wednesday 4 September 2013

6:55 PM.Three years on from the 7.1 earthquake that struck Canterbury, some neighbourhoods have been changed forever. Audio

6:51 PM.The Maori Council says David Cunliffe has a wider appeal than Shane Jones and Grant Robertson for the Labour Party leadership; The Minister of Finance, Bill English, has expressed confidence in Maori… Read more Audio

6:46 PM.John Key is being accused of capitulating to Fiji's military regime over its constitution and shifting towards a policy of appeasement. Audio

6:43 PM.Business sentiment has turned against the Labor Government in Australia, with a new survey suggesting most business leaders looking forward to a change of government after this Saturday's election. Audio

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

6:27 PM.Sir Owen Glenn says he has earmarked more funding for his inquiry into child abuse and domestic violence despite serious setbacks recently. Audio

6:24 PM.News from the business sector. Audio

6:19 PM.The country's economy has been ranked the 18th most competitive in the world, outperforming Australia's for the first time. Audio

6:15 PM.On the third anniversary of the first major earthquake to hit Christchurch thousands of people with the most badly damaged homes are still wrangling with their insurance companies over rebuilds. Audio

5:54 PM.The Otago Regional Council is celebrating a record 38 million dollar profit by Port Otago as proof the region's main export gateway is in good hands. Audio

5:51 PM.The Minister of Finance, Bill English, has expressed confidence in Maori Television's recruitment process for a new chief executive; The Maori Council says David Cunliffe has a wider appeal than Shane… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.Too many teachers still can't accurately measure how their students rate against the national standards in writing and maths. Audio

5:45 PM.Lawyers for the Auckland Council's water company say they may never know what caused the gas explosion which killed a worker and seriously injured another in 2011 Audio

5:42 PM.An expat New Zealand kayaker stalked by a crocodile has been branded an idiot by locals in outback Western Australia. Audio

5:39 PM.New Zealand has beaten Australia for economic competitiveness for the first time, in a new global ranking. Audio

5:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:29 PM.The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has set a 60 day deadline for President Obama to launch military strikes against the Assad regime - but has also barred using any ground troops. Audio

5:26 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:23 PM.Fonterra's boss says he should have known its milk powder was potentially contaminated a month earlier than he was told. Audio

5:19 PM.270 schoolchildren are stuck on Mt Hutt skifield amid the southerly blast moving up the country. Audio

5:16 PM.The MP at the centre of the inquiry into a leaked a report on the GCSB to a journalist wants to know if his emails were looked at while they were on a Parliamentary server. Audio

5:11 PM.Listening to that - the Courts minister, Chester Borrows. Audio

5:06 PM.A Mongrel Mob member has been arrested after a stabbing in the Napier courthouse this morning. Audio

5:00 PM.A metal detector wasn't operating at the Napier Court house where a man was stabbed with a screwdriver. Fonterra's boss admits he should have known about the milk powder scare earlier and 270… Read more Audio