Checkpoint for Monday 19 May 2014

6:51 PM.To Australia now, where what's being called the harshest and most unpopular federal Budget in nearly two decades has triggered a collapse in support for Tony Abbott's Coalition government. Audio

6:48 PM.Ngai Tahu has pulled out as a major investor in the controversial 600-million-dollar Ruataniwha Water Storage scheme in Hawke's Bay; An organisation which helps many Maori quit smoking says its phone… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.Farm sales are on the improve in Northland after rain broke the drought conditions prevailing on the west coast there. Audio

6:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:26 PM.One of the world's most respected long term studies involving a thousand Dunedin-born people has found no link between lower intelligence and fluoride in water supplies. Audio

6:18 PM.Official figures show the cost of buying and building new houses rose by 4.6% in the year to March, which is the largest annual increase since 2008. Audio

6:13 PM.New Zealand Cricket has confirmed the Black Caps captain, Brendon McCullum, has been approached by match fixers. Audio

6:12 PM.Lorde is continuing to take the music world by storm with the singer-songwriter winning two more music awards in Las Vegas. Audio

6:08 PM.The Government has shelved changes to the Resource Management Act until after the election having failed to get the backing of United Future and the Maori Party. Audio

5:56 PM.A new campaign is adding to pressure on the Government to take action to save the critically endangered Maui's dolphin. Audio

5:53 PM.A dying Hawke's Bay man texted his father asking for help after crashing his car into a stream near Havlock North. Audio

5:48 PM.Ngai Tahu has pulled out as a major investor in the controversial 600-million-dollar Ruataniwha Water Storage scheme in Hawke's Bay; A member of Taranaki Whanui iwi has been ordered to pay back nearly… Read more Audio

5:41 PM.South Korea's President is promising to break up the coastguard over its failures in the ferry disaster that killed more than 300 passengers, many of them schoolchildren. Audio

5:38 PM.The police have launched a double homicide investigation after the bodies of two women with what appeared to be stab wounds were found in a West Auckland house. Audio

5:34 PM.The Government has shelved changes to the Resource Management Act until after the election having failed to get the backing of United Future and the Maori Party. Audio

5:31 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:26 PM.The Prime Minister has confirmed information gathered by the Government's electronic spy agency could have been used in identifying targets for United States drone attacks. Audio

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

5:19 PM.A midwife who turned off a heart monitor that would have saved a baby's life delivered what the Health and Disability Commissioner is calling seriously sub-standard care that cannot be tolerated. Audio

5:16 PM.The price of a new house has hit a six-year high. Audio

5:11 PM.Ngāi Tahu has pulled out of investing in Hawkes Bay's landmark Ruataniwha dam because the company behind the project cannot find another investment partner. Audio

5:07 PM.The man who handled the finances for John Banks' failed supercity mayoralty bid says Mr Banks never read his donations return before signing. Audio

5:00 PM.John Banks on trial in the High Court in Auckland. Ngāi Tahu deals another blow to Hawkes Bay's contoversial Ruataniwha dam and PM confirms information used in drone attacks. Audio