Checkpoint for Wednesday 1 October 2014

6:54 PM.A High Court hearing against the Earthquake Commission has heard the owners of the home at the centre of the dispute were a house-proud couple who took good care of their property . Audio

6:50 PM.The Minister for Tertiary Education Steven Joyce says tertiary courses at other institutions are facing tighter scrutiny and auditing after an investigation into Te Whare Wananga o Awanuirangi; Maori… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.In Ferguson, Missouri there's been a fresh round of protests over the last week with anger still simmering over the police shooting of Micheal Brown and the officer responsible not yet arrested. Audio

6:40 PM.About 200 people have rallied to support pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong at a sit-in in central Auckland today as the territory marks China's national day. Audio

6:34 PM.The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott has announce the Australian Air Force will join United States led operations in Iraq - but only in non-combat role for now. Audio

6:33 PM.The New Zealand dollar was slighty weaker against the US dollar a short time ago, dragged down by the Australian currency, which fell to a near four-year low of 87.47 US cents on the back of weaker… Read more Audio

6:27 PM.A coroner has found there were significant delays in a police investigation into the death of a Lower Hutt teenage boy. Audio

6:24 PM.Iraqi Kurdish troops have forced out Islamic State fighters from a strategic border crossing with Syria. Audio

6:22 PM.Recommendations for a new cycling law are being described by some bikers as weakly worded and maybe not actually making cycling any safer. Audio

6:20 PM.Listening to that is our education correspondent, John Gerritsen. Audio

6:17 PM.The Minister for Tertiary Education Steven Joyce says other tertiary courses are facing tighter scrutiny and auditing after an investigation into Te Whare Wananga o Awanuirangi. Audio

6:11 PM.A major search and rescue operation is underway at Mount Maunganui after a five year old boy was swept out to sea. Audio

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

5:55 PM.Microsoft's unveiled its new Windows 10 operating system, hoping to win back customers put off by the disastrous Windows 8. Audio

5:51 PM.In Hong Kong hundreds of protesters booed and jeered outside a flag raising ceremony to mark the founding of communist china in 1949. Audio

5:47 PM.A resource consent hearing in Christchurch has heard Silver Fern Farms may need to discharge treated wastewater, used to clean its abattoirs, into the Waimakariri river, for the next three years. Audio

5:44 PM.A Christchurch truck driver has been ordered to pay more than ten thousand dollars to the family of a cyclist he killed. Audio

5:39 PM.A fracking expert from the oil industry giant Halliburton has told an energy conference in Auckland the controversial oil and gas extraction method is good for the environment. Audio

5:36 PM.The New Zealand dollar was slighty weaker against the US dollar a short time ago, dragged down by the Australian currency, which fell to a near four-year low of 87.47 US cents on the back of weaker… Read more Audio

5:28 PM.The United States has diagnosed its first case of the deadly Ebola virus, a sign the outbreak ravaging West Africa may spread globally. Audio

5:25 PM.The Police say they are pouring more resources into cutting violent and sexual crime with the latest figures showing those offences are on the rise. Audio

5:20 PM.The relationship between David Cunliffe and some of his MPs just got worse, with the revelation his wife used an anonymous Twitter account to attack some of his colleagues. Audio

5:13 PM.A wananga has been forced to pay back six million dollars and two of its contractors may be investigated by the Serious Fraud Office after a probe found it was teaching a Maori tourism course in half… Read more Audio

5:10 PM.Inspector Karl Wright-Sinclair from the Tauranga Police is leading the search for the missing five year old. Audio

5:08 PM.Emergency workers have been searching for five hours for a five-year-old boy swept out to sea at Mount Maunganui. Audio

5:00 PM.The search for a child swept out to sea at Mount Maunganui. A Wananga accused of rorting the system is forced to pay back millions of dollars and - Labour's war of tweets. Audio