Checkpoint for Tuesday 18 March 2014

6:48 PM.A group of hapu supporting a unified move to negotiate a treaty settlement for Ngapuhi says a new dawn is emerging for the Iwi as more sub-tribes decide to get in behind the mandated authority… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.Scientists working at a telescope at the South Pole have found one of the holy grails of cosmology. Audio

6:36 PM.Residents of a small Northland community say they're prepared to be arrested in their fight to get something done about the clouds of choking dust that come off their unsealed roads. Audio

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

6:24 PM.An economic think tank says more flexibility is needed in how water is allocated. Audio

6:16 PM.A teacher who faked cancer to get close to a student and her mother has been de-registered. Audio

6:14 PM.John Key has arrived in Beijing on a post-botulism scare mission to reassure the country's largest export market that New Zealand's food is safe. Audio

6:08 PM.A former director of South Canterbury Finance has told a court he was forced to resign after trying to remove the company's chair, the late Allan Hubbard. Audio

5:57 PM.The police say a forensic examination of a boat may offer clues about what happened to its owner. Audio

5:55 PM.The former All Black lock Frank Oliver, who kicked off his test debut in 1976 and went on to play seventeen test matches four of them as captain, has died aged 65. Audio

5:52 PM.The Maori Council says some Maori Wardens are operating unsafely, because they haven't been issued their warrants; One of the few last remaining members of the 28th Maori Battalion has died, at the… Read more Audio

5:49 PM.Six months after taking over the leadership of the Labour Party and six months from election day, David Cunliffe is struggling not only to lift the party's support, but to shore up his own. Audio

5:46 PM.Ngapuhi leaders are holding a hui in Sydney tonight on the iwi's Treaty settlement, saying most of its people want it settled. Audio

5:42 PM.In Moscow, President Putin is expected to officially invite Crimea to rejoin Russia after more than sixty years with the Ukraine - when he addresses the Russian parliament in a few hours' time. Audio

5:36 PM.The agency that's suspended the country's only adventure tourism audits blames Worksafe New Zealand, saying it's crippled by a lack of funding. Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.The Invercargill City Council is offering traps to fed up people who live near a woman and her son whose property is over run with dozens of cats. Audio

5:24 PM.A timber company has been ordered to fork out 100 thousand dollars to cover a freight bill despite its cargo being lost when the Rena ran aground in 2011. Audio

5:21 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:17 PM.A key detail in the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has been thrown into doubt, with the the airline's chief saying it is now not clear when the plane's tracking… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.The convicted murderer and rapist, Teina Pora, has marked his first public appearance in 14 years by smiling broadly at the judge deciding his immediate future. Audio

5:12 PM.The Opposition is refusing to let the Judith Collins story die, asking her questions today about who paid for her controversial dinner in Beijing, and whether she can speak and understand Mandarin. Audio

5:08 PM.A man is beginning a jail term of at least 17 years for murdering a Northland mother of one whose family did not see her texted pleas for help in time. Audio

5:00 PM.A court hears how a murder victim had texted in vain for help. Who paid for Judith Collins Beijing dinner and dealing to cats Invercargill style. Audio