Checkpoint for Thursday 7 August 2014

5:00 PM.A father's anger at the death of his son spills over in court. A fishing trawler nets a missing plane off Great Barrier Island and political debate over foreign land sales rages on. Audio

5:08 PM.The father of west Auckland teenager Stephen Dudley who died after a fight at a school rugby practice could only contain his anger and grief for so long. Audio

5:13 PM.We spoke to an angry Brent Dudley after the sentencing - he says the family cannot believe or understand what the judge has done. Audio

5:18 PM.The wife of a pilot who went missing while on a solo-flight in March says it's an absolute miracle his plane has been found. Audio

5:20 PM.The Labour Party leader says any clampdown on land sales to foreign buyers would not include Australians. Audio

5:25 PM.The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found a Taranaki police officer was justified in shooting dead a man who kidnapped and held a woman hostage for 12 hours. Audio

5:31 PM.The New Zealand dollar was stronger today, partly on the back of a weaker Australian dollar, which fell after the release of weaker than expected employment data. Audio

5:34 PM.A portable courtroom shifted from post-quake Christchurch and opened in Oamaru today is being criticised as a blight on the town. Audio

5:43 PM.The brakes are continuing to go on the pace of growth in property values. Audio

5:46 PM.A new plan to protect the longfin eel has been announced by the government but it's already being criticised by some ecologists for not going far enough. Audio

5:49 PM.A Maori recruitment online firm says treaty settlements and the Christchurch rebuild are driving factors behind a slight spike in Maori employment. Audio

5:53 PM.Funeral directors are demanding an assurance Wellingtonians won't be charged for scattering ashes in public places. Audio

5:56 PM.The Green Party says it is responding to what people want by pledging more than 10 billion dollars over the next 10 years to public transport and rail networks. Audio

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

6:13 PM.The father of the teenager who died after a fight at a school rugby practice lambasted a judge for letting the offender walk free today, saying it piles 'insult upon insult'. Audio

6:16 PM.The offender's lawyer John Munro is with us. Audio

6:24 PM.Two top Khmer Rouge leaders have been jailed for life after being convicted by Cambodia's UN-backed tribunal of crimes against humanity. Audio

6:36 PM.The New Zealand dollar was stronger today, partly on the back of a weaker Australian dollar, which fell after the release of weaker than expected employment data. Audio

6:38 PM.A National MP in North Otago has taken on her own Minister at the public opening of a portable courthouse she says is unacceptable. Audio

6:45 PM.A Maori recruitment website says treaty settlements and the Christchurch rebuild are driving factors behind a slight increase in Māori employment; The government's announced it's stepping up measures… Read more Audio

6:49 PM.The wreckage of a small plane caught in the net of a fishing trawler near in the Hauraki Gulf, is due to be brought ashore for detailed inspection in two hours time. Audio

6:51 PM.Some Chinese New Zealanders are warning that the political backlash against the bid by a Chinese company to buy a huge farm near Taupo could cost the country much needed investment. Audio

6:54 PM.A handful of protestors fronted up to the Auckland mayor and the housing minister over a new development in the eastern suburb of Glen Innes. Audio