Checkpoint for Tuesday 29 July 2014

6:54 PM.Internet Mana's Wairiki candidate Annette Sykes says she's level-pegging with the Maori Party candidate Te Ururoa Flavell - as she launches her election campaign; Tai Tokerau's river patrol man Millan… Read more Audio

6:50 PM.Fonterra has slashed its forecast payout from seven dollars to six dollars a kilo of milk solids, blaming volatility in world milk prices. Audio

6:45 PM.Australia's mining magnates are pouring cold water on the industry's future prospects, with confidence levels reaching a five-year low. Audio

6:42 PM.Commonwealth Games, Chef de Mission, Rob Waddell says he's delighted at New Zealand's medal tally, already eclipsing the team's golden haul that it won in Delhi four years ago. Audio

6:40 PM.The New Zealand dollar fell about a quarter of a US cent in late trading today following the Fonterra news of a reduced milk payout. Audio

6:25 PM.Qantas is facing questions about whether it should be allowing its planes to continue to fly over Iraq when Emirates has announced it will stop using that route because it fears its planes could be… Read more Audio

6:21 PM.Australian and Dutch police will make a third attempt to access the site of the downed Malaysia Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine to recover bodies and evidence later today. Audio

6:18 PM.The New Zealand weightlifter, Richie Patterson, has won gold at the Commonwealth Games in dramatic fashion, with all hope of a medal coming down to his final lift. Audio

6:14 PM.A registered nurse has been investigated by the Health and Disability Commisioner after she injected a patient with a dirty needle and then went on leave without letting people know about what had… Read more Audio

6:10 PM.Fish and Game wants the Prime Minister's assurance that its statutory role in protecting rivers and lakes is safe, backed up in writing. Audio

6:07 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:58 PM.New Zealand aerospace company, Rocket Lab, has unveiled a light weight rocket design it hopes will revolutionise the space industry, by putting satellites into orbit cheaper and faster than before. Audio

5:54 PM.The Finance Minister has rejected Labour Party criticism that the economy has got worse, not better, under the National-led Government. Audio

5:51 PM.Mental health service leaders say plans to expand the Maori unit at the Mason Clinic will encourage other services to follow suit. The country's largest forensic psychiatric clinic wants to double the… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.In Washington, there are growing signs of a rift with Israel over accusations that the United States is siding with Hamas in efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. Audio

5:43 PM.The Crown says a teenager subjected a homeless man to a sustained and brutal attack before leaving him for dead in an Auckland city alleyway. Audio

5:40 PM.Election battle lines are being drawn with New Zealand First now firmly ruling out working with the Maori Party or Mana in government. Audio

5:37 PM.The New Zealand dollar fell about a quarter of a US cent in late trading today following the Fonterra news of a reduced milk payout. Audio

5:33 PM.Fonterra has slashed its forecast payout from seven dollars to six dollars per kilo of milk solids, blaming volatility in world milk prices. Audio

5:26 PM.The weightlifter Richie Patterson has dramatically won gold at the Commonwealth Games, with all his medal hopes depending on his final lift. Audio

5:22 PM.Thames Police say they don't believe a home invasion last night, in which two people were shot by masked assailants was a random attack. Audio

5:19 PM.An inquest has heard evidence the balloonist killed in Carterton with 10 of his passengers had been caught cheating in a pilot's exam. Audio

5:15 PM.Frustrated Air New Zealand passengers stuck in Hawaii say they feel like they're in Groundhog Day, with their flight postponed for a third night in a row. Audio

5:08 PM.Fish and Game is back to square one in its fraught relationship with the Minister of Conservation after hearing Nick Smith speak out in the House this afternoon. Audio

5:00 PM.Top level talks fail to assure Fish and Game it's safe from political interference. Police hunt for masked intruders in Thames and - evidence the balloonist killed in Carterton had been caught… Read more Audio