Checkpoint for Friday 13 December 2013

6:57 PM.Hundreds of people gathered at the Holy Trinity Cathedral to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela. Audio

6:54 PM.The Maori Language Commission says a Judge's decision to stop a lawyer from speaking te reo Maori in the Waitangi Tribunal belittles the language's status; The Associate Dean of Maori in Health… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.After 18 months and at a cost of more than half-a-million dollars an inquiry into the leaking of Cabinet papers about the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade restructuring could not find definitive… Read more Audio

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

6:28 PM.Long queues have started to form outside the Auckland City Mission - as struggling familes line up for food and gifts for Christmas. Audio

6:24 PM.The country's top investment management company says next year could be New Zealand's best vintage for economic growth in a decade. Audio

6:20 PM.The man who took a private prosecution against ACT leader John Banks, is seeking donations from the public to prosecute the former chief executive of Pike River Coal for manslaughter. Audio

6:12 PM.The city councillor Dick Quax, a long-standing political opponent of Len Brown, has previously said the mayor should consider whether to resign over the Chuang affair. Audio

6:07 PM.Len Brown says he won't resign as Auckland mayor after auditors found he accepted upgrades and free hotel rooms worth 39 thousand dollars during the past term, but didn't declare them. Audio

5:53 PM.A former FBI agent who went missing while on a private business trip in Iran seven years ago was actually working for the CIA on a rogue mission. Audio

5:51 PM.Tens of thousands of motorists in Wellington have had their personal details accidentally leaked to a member of the public. Audio

5:46 PM.The Maori Language Commission says a Judge's decision to stop a lawyer from speaking te reo Maori in the Waitangi Tribunal belittles the language's status; The Associate Dean of Maori in Health… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.The police have busted what they claim is a Nigerian led methampehtamine ring, based in Auckland and Woodville. Audio

5:37 PM.An SAS soldier has been found guilty of stealing from the Defence Force but has avoided detention or dismissal from the military. Audio

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

5:29 PM.The Black Caps have broken their ten match winless streak, beating the West Indies by an innings and 73 runs inside three days of the second Test at the Basin Reserve. Audio

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

5:23 PM.In North Korea, the uncle of the leader Kim Jong-un has been executed after being found guilty of treason. Audio

5:19 PM.The man responsible for getting the ACT party leader John Banks to trial is now planning a private prosecution for manslaughter against former Pike River boss Peter Whitall. Audio

5:14 PM.The oil spill response plan of deep sea driller Anadarko has been released and shows Greenpeace's modelling, which the oil industry labelled as science fiction, is in some ways conservative. Audio

5:08 PM.The mayor of Auckland Len Brown says he won't be resigning for failing to declare he was given free hotel rooms and upgrades worth 39 thousand dollars. Audio