Checkpoint for Friday 24 January 2014

6:52 PM.The Kiingitanga has made a passionate plea for iwi to come together ahead of the general elections to discuss Maori issues; A Hawke's Bay mayor has offended Ngati Kahungunu, partly by singling out its… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.Election year has well and truly started - with the Prime Minister revealing which parties National would be willing to work with post-election, and the unveiling of a significant new education… Read more Audio

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

6:21 PM.Napier's Marineland's seals and sea lions are finally moving on, six years after the park was closed to the public following the death of its last dolphin. The eight animals have been there all this… Read more Audio

6:19 PM.The New Zealand share market has fallen for the second consecutive day, with the benchmark top 50 index, dropping 37 points to 4,874. Audio

6:13 PM.Researchers are appalled that parents are still receiving conflicting information about the correct use of child safety restraints in cars. A new study published in the latest issue of the New Zealand… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.The double murderer Scott Watson is taking legal action against the Department of Corrections over a meeting he wants with the father one of his victims, Olivia Hope. Audio

5:58 PM.To New York, where police have made arrests over gang crimes including the airport heist that inspired the Goodfellas movie. The five arrested are accused of being part of a top crime family behind… Read more Audio

5:56 PM.Napier Marineland's eight seals and sealions are finally moving on, six years after the park was closed to the public following the death of its last dolphin. The eight animals have been there all… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.The Kiingitanga has made a passionate plea for iwi to come together ahead of the general elections to discuss Maori issues; A Hawke's Bay mayor has offended Ngati Kahungunu, partly by singling out its… Read more Audio

5:43 PM.Researchers from New Zealand and overseas have begun picking holes in the Government's 360 million dollar plan to create a new group of super teachers and principals. They say the four new roles… Read more Audio

5:39 PM.In a turnaround from last year, the new-look Christchurch City Council has ordered a review of its assets with an eye to possibly selling some. The council has nearly reached its borrowing limit and… Read more Audio

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

5:29 PM.For the first time three siblings have been selected to represent New Zealand at the Olympics - and in fact they make up a full fifth of the entire 15-strong team heading to Sochi to compete next… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.A man who masqueraded as a doctor to check out crime opportunities at Wellington Hospital has today pleaded guilty to burglary and fraud charges. Audio

5:22 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:18 PM.Pita Sharples has distanced his Maori Party from National during appearances by politicians at Ratana Pa today, while Winston Peters has had a go at the Maori Party. Audio

5:16 PM.The police are tonight searching for a bank robber who threatened workers with a fake bomb at an Auckland BNZ branch. The police say the man walked into the Bank of New Zealand Manukau branch just… Read more Audio

5:13 PM.Mark Middleton, Karla Cardno's stepfather, says he's known from the start Dally can never be released. Audio

5:11 PM.The man who raped and murdered a Lower Hutt schoolgirl told the Parole Board he enjoyed committing the crime. Paul Dally has spent 25 years in prison and done every treatment programme he could do… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.The double murderer Scott Watson is taking legal action against the Department of Corrections over a meeting he wants with Gerald Hope, the father of the girl he killed. Audio

5:00 PM.Double murderer taking legal action against Corrections; Dally tells board he enjoyed killing schoolgirl; Murdered teenager's stepfather says Dally should never be free; Police search for bank robber… Read more Audio