Checkpoint for Friday 20 December 2013

6:52 PM.The state-owned enterprise, Landcorp, has backed out of a sale of farmlands near Te Puke, which are being claimed by local iwi; The Chair of Te Runanga o Te Rarawa, Haami Piripi, says there's a belief… Read more Audio

6:37 PM.The Government released its Budget Policy Statement and half year economic and fiscal update this week. It is continuing to forecast a budget surplus for 2014-15 and now plans to start paying back… Read more Audio

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

6:25 PM.Fewer jobs were advertised in November, but the long-term trend shows the labour market is still strengthening. Audio

6:19 PM.There are calls for Christchurch's ambitious rebuild plan to go back to the drawing board in light of a critical new report into the Christchurch City Council's finances. The interim report by the… Read more Audio

6:11 PM.There has been an ironic twist in the Len Brown hotel room affair, with one of his main opponents being revealed as having failed to declare a four-night freebie on the Gold Coast. The broadcast… Read more Audio

5:52 PM.Back to Australia now where heavily armed police have used tear gas and a crowbar to apprehended a man and end a standoff outside the New South Wales Parliament. The building and grounds had been in… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.The state-owned enterprise, Landcorp, has backed out of a sale of farmlands near Te Puke, which are being claimed by local iwi; The Chair of Te Runanga o Te Rarawa, Haami Piripi, says there's a belief… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.To Sydney, where a man has appeared in court over the killing of a nurse on the city's North Shore more than 30 years ago. Mary Louise Wallace disappeared early on a September day in 1983 on a night… Read more Audio

5:42 PM.Lobby groups representing electricity users say New Zealanders are being overcharged by more than 150-million-dollars a year. And they say households could be in for rebates of around 250 dollars each… Read more Audio

5:41 PM.Carter Holt Harvey has admitted to price fixing with Fletcher Distribution on structural timber for commercial construction in Auckland. Fletcher Building says a regular audit early this year showed… Read more Audio

5:36 PM.The Labour Party says managers at the Ministry for Primary Industries have been left shellshocked and in tears at being told of major restructuring moves in the wake of the Fonterra food scare. Audio

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

5:28 PM.A group representing rest homes says the sector faces a crisis if employers lose legal action over low pay. Workers unions say they've begun claims against six companies, arguing low wages in a mostly… Read more Audio

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

5:21 PM.Seventy-six people have been injured, seven seriously, after part of a ceiling in London's Apollo Theatre collapsed during a show. Around 720 people were at the venue for the packed out performance of… Read more Audio

5:16 PM.Auckland's deputy mayor Penny Hulse has taken a swing at one of Len Brown's most vocal critics on the city council after it was revealed he had also not declared a gift worth thousands of dollars. Audio

5:08 PM.Four Police Officers are sueing the Police Commissioner for defamation in the wake of sentencing of corrupt cop Gordon Meyer who sought sexual favours on the job. Their lawyer says that the… Read more Audio

5:00 PM.Cops to sue Police Commissioner; Auckland Deputy Mayor takes a swing at Len Brown critics; Apollo Theatre roof collapses in London; Aged care group predicts crisis if providers lose pay cases; MPI… Read more Audio