Checkpoint for Thursday 29 May 2014

6:48 PM.Iwi leaders have been asked for their blessings on the building of a marae in Sydney; Three names are in the ring for the Labour Party candidacy in Tamaki Makaurau; Legislation that returns volcanic… Read more Audio

6:46 PM.A primary school child got a little too close to a tiger at Wellington Zoo after a keeper left a gate to a supposedly secure area unlocked. Audio

6:44 PM.More now on the Conservation Minister's decision to scrap the monorail completing a link between Queenstown and Milford Sound. Audio

6:42 PM.There as an uneasy calm in New Caledonia after days of clashes between 150 riot police and Kanak youths who used firearms in a protest over a nickel plant. Audio

6:39 PM.Labour is accusing National of bullying the Maori Party, saying senior Ministers told its MP Pita Sharples that he could not fix up a wrong Maori Party vote. Audio

6:36 PM.There were sobs and cries of "I love you" in the Wellington District Court today from family and friends of two men jailed for a multi-million dollar fraud at a gas company they ran. Audio

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

6:24 PM.A new study has found many drowning deaths could be prevented if people learned to wait out the body's initial shock response to cold water. Audio

6:20 PM.It's no secret New Zealanders are getting fatter, but, you might be surprised to know that men from this country have been getting bigger, at a faster rate, than men in any other country in the world.

6:16 PM.The inquiry into a riot at Spring Hill prison has blamed the inmates for it and found Corrections' response was well managed but faulted it for long lock-ups. Audio

6:13 PM.Political experts warn low voter turnout could be leading to a widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Audio

6:09 PM.Laila Harre says she is coming back to politics to lead the Internet Party because young people, in particular, have been ignored by politicians. Audio

5:56 PM.A former science minister says AgResearch is being astonishly foolish in going ahead with shifting its genetics scientists from Invermay in Dunedin to Canterbury. Audio

5:52 PM.John Banks' 38 year political career hangs in the balance. Audio

5:49 PM.Iwi leaders have been asked for their blessings on the building of a marae in Sydney; The Hawkes' Bay iwi Ngati Kahungunu is the latest tribe to sign an agreement with Child, Youth and Family to… Read more Audio

5:40 PM.Searchers for the missing Malaysia passenger plane now say it did not crash in the Indian Ocean zone they've been scouring for weeks. Audio

5:37 PM.President Obama has offered the most detailed description yet of his foreign policy, in a major address to cadets at West Point. Audio

5:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:28 PM.Fisheries officers have uncovered a thriving crayfish black market in Kaikoura. Audio

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

5:23 PM.The family of Blessie Gotingco has spoken out saying they've been robbed of their wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Audio

5:20 PM.Five of the biggest Hollywood studios have filed papers in the High Cout uin Auckland to have Kim Dotcom's assets frozen. Audio

5:14 PM.The former Alliance Party MP and cabinet minister, Laila Harre, says she's got back into politics to try and get more young people to vote. Audio

5:11 PM.The Save Fiordland group has been campaigning for the monorail linking Queenstown and Milford Sound to be scrapped. Audio

5:07 PM.Fiordland's controversial 240 million dollar monorail has been scrapped by the Conservation Minister. Audio

5:00 PM.Nick Smith says NO to Fiordland's controversial monorail. Yes it is Laila Harre and a thriving crayfish black market is uncovered in Kaikoura. Audio