Checkpoint for Thursday 31 October 2013

6:56 PM.A ten year plan that aims to cut by a quarter the number of young offenders going through the courts has been rolled out by the Government. Audio

6:53 PM.People frustrated with the pace of quake repairs in eastern Christchurch are pinning their hopes on a new plan to revitalise the suburb of New Brighton. Audio

6:48 PM.Te Papa Tongarewa - the national museum says now several Maori ancestral remains are back home they can finally be given the dignity of a proper tangihanga; The newly elected mayor of Rotorua, Steve… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.A group opposing the planned 630 million dollar Kapiti Expressway is pinning its hopes on the Supreme Court to bring the project to a halt. Audio

6:38 PM.One of the country's largest home builders says the Reserve Bank's new lending restrictions are killing the dream of new-home owners throughout New Zealand. Audio

6:36 PM.The Crown's star witness in the Rae Portman murder trial has twice denied murdering her. Audio

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

6:27 PM.Nuclear experts are warning that one slip-up in the latest step to decommission Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant could trigger a monumental chain reaction. Audio

6:25 PM.A tiny technology company has made an extraordinary debut on the share market today. Audio

6:22 PM.There's strong signs of progress at a meeting to decide whether Antarctica's Ross Sea will get protective status. Audio

6:14 PM.Rick Walczak is a commercial balloonist who lives in Carterton and knew Lance Hopping well. He says he's totally shocked. He's with us. Audio

6:12 PM.It's emerged in TAIC's inquiry that two years before the crash the Civil Aviation Authority investigated talk of a balloon passenger being told their flight was cancelled because Lance Hopping… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The pilot in the Carterton balloon crash had probably been smoking cannabis shortly before the fatal flight and his 10 passengers would have stood a better chance if he'd not made a bad call to try to… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.Canterbury University is being thrown a 260 million dollar financial lifeline by the Government. Audio

5:51 PM.The Maori and Mana Parties have taken the first step to mend relations by agreeing to develop policies to improve Maori outcomes; Several Maori ancestral remains have been welcomed home during an… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.The economy is continuing to go from strength to strength. Audio

5:44 PM.Students at a Northland school have reacted with shock today to news that their former principal's been charged with sex crimes against boys. Audio

5:38 PM.The report on the fatal balloon crash last January has revealed that the pilot, Lance Hopping had been investigated two years earlier over a complaint that a flight was cancelled because he was too… Read more Audio

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

5:28 PM.There'll be no beer or wine at a primary school fair in Dunedin this weekend because public health officials objected. Audio

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

5:19 PM.A mother who left her baby alone in the bath while she was on the phone for nine minutes has walked free after being found not guilty of his manslaughter. Audio

5:16 PM.The former principal of the Kaikohe Christian School has been charged with historical sexual abuse - but the Board of Trustees says there have been no allegations during his time in Northland. Audio

5:13 PM.As well as the Commission's TAIC's call to toughen up on drug and alcohol testing, some of the families of balloon crash victims want random drug tests. Audio

5:08 PM.The pilot of the balloon that hit power lines and burned near Carterton killing 11 people had probably been smoking cannabis just 25 minutes before the flight, possibly impairing his judgement. Audio

5:00 PM.The balloon pilot in the fatal flight over Carterton probably smoked cannabis just 25 minutes before take off. The mother who left her baby alone in the bath is found not guilty of his manslaughter… Read more Audio