Checkpoint for Friday 11 July 2014

6:53 PM.The head of the Far North iwi of Ngati Kahu, where a storm continues to ravage the area, says relatives of kaumatua or elders, need to ensure they have enough supplies to ride out the bad weather; A… Read more Audio

6:35 PM.Young people are increasingly boycotting the ballot box and staying home on election day. Audio

6:27 PM.The safety of contact sports has been back in the spotlight this week after the death of the talented Northland schoolboy rugby player, Jordan Kemp. Audio

6:22 PM.Investors who lost more than 115 million dollars in New Zealand's biggest fraud are furious they're paying the legal bill for David Ross - the man who ripped them off. Audio

6:19 PM.The Labour Party says it would create 12-hundred new digital apprenticeships and support budding entrepreneurs Audio

6:15 PM.A man who fathered a child with his adopted daughter has been jailed for 3 years and 3 months for incest. Audio

6:11 PM.The injured trans- tasman kayaker Scott Donaldson says he has no regrets about abandoning his attempt to cross the Tasman. Audio

6:08 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:56 PM.Scientists have identified the fossilized remains of an extinct giant bird that could be the biggest flying bird ever found. Audio

5:50 PM.New Zealand Post has confirmed its is cutting more than 130 jobs when it closes its Waikato and Dunedin mail processing centres in coming months. Audio

5:45 PM.Israel is massing forces on the Gaza border, warning its offensive will expand until militant rocket fire is stopped. Audio

5:40 PM.The United States is refusing to break its silence about a spying row, which has led a furious Germany to expel its top CIA official based at the US embassy in Berlin. Audio

5:37 PM.Opposition parties are accusing the Government of capitulating to United States demands to introduce legislation which helps America crack down on tax evaders. Audio

5:34 PM.Market update. Audio

5:28 PM.Two people are dead and another two are missing, believed dead, after an inter-island ferry sank in Vanuatu, with survivors forced to endure more than six hours adrift. Audio

5:19 PM.The police say that the Malaysian defence attache accused of sex crimes did not tell them he worked at the High Commission and was covered by diplomatic immunity, when he was arrested, or at any time… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.The Far North District Council's Civil Defence controller Alastair Wells. Audio

5:12 PM.The storm-racked Far North is bracing for another belt of heavy rain this evening - and the high tide - expected in the next couple of hours. Audio

5:07 PM.After three months of battling stormy seas, atrocious weather has finally forced the trans-tasman kayaker Scott Donaldson to quit, just 83-kilometres from New Zealand. Audio

5:00 PM.Kayaker winched to safety, Kaitaia has fingers crossed for high tide, New band of rain to hit waterlogged Far North and Malaysian diplomat did not reveal he worked for High Commission. Audio