Checkpoint for Thursday 30 October 2014

6:57 PM.The Police in Hawke's Bay say a major drug operation has netted a big player in the local methamphetamine trade. Audio

6:49 PM.Māori at opposite ends of the country are mourning the death of influential Ngapuhi elder, Riki Cherrington, who was 72; Northland's Ngati Kahu chair says the Labour Party's call for iwi to take a… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.A mock-coffin symbolising the demise of council-owned pensioner housing in Hamilton was carried into the council building today by protesters. Audio

6:42 PM.The Green Party says a food industry lobbyist on a Crown agency has a legal duty to declare conflicts of interest. Audio

6:38 PM.In Australia, swarms of bacteria-infected mosquitoes have been released into backyards in north Queensland today as part of a trial to eliminate dengue fever. Audio

6:34 PM.A Reefton company has won the contract to salvage the first lot of West Coast native timber blown down by a cyclone earlier this year. Audio

6:22 PM.Low wages, a lack of security, and juggling work and families - all reasons a number of New Zealanders are unhappy in their jobs. Audio

6:19 PM.An environment court judge has described a Murchison dairy farmer's repeated and deliberate polluting as the worst in New Zealand and hasn't ruled out sending him to jail. Audio

6:13 PM.A law professor, who has worked extensively on how sexual abuse are victims treated, is hopeful changes to the court system could soon be made. Audio

6:11 PM.The new Minister of Justice is to reconsider whether a special court is needed for sexual abuse cases. Audio

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

5:55 PM.Households could see their power bills drop by about 25 dollars a year under a Commerce Commission decree that cuts profit margins for electricity and gas distribution companies. Audio

5:52 PM.A leader at an Auckland Marae says he's disappointed a "New Zealand-inspired" component of a planned theme park in China has been dumped. Audio

5:48 PM.A doctor who left a part of a stapler in a patient's pelvis, with the part only being found eight days later, features among serious misadventures at public hospitals recently. Audio

5:43 PM.The New Zealand dollar dropped more than one-and-a-quarter US cents today, and also fell against all the currencies of the country's major trading partners. Audio

5:37 PM.The surprise guilty plea today for drug dealing by a top policeman has raised questions about how officers handle evidence. Audio

5:35 PM.The Government has pushed through big changes to labour laws. Audio

5:28 PM.The Green MP Steffan Browning admits he was unwise to support and then promote a petition calling on the World Health Organisation to fight ebola with homeopathy. Audio

5:25 PM.Worksafe New Zealand says it has a number of investigations underway into problems at some of the country's ports and there could be more prosecutions. Audio

5:21 PM.Kim Dotcom could be deported from New Zealand if Immigration confirms he didn't disclose a dangerous driving conviction. Audio

5:15 PM.An independent investigation has cleared the police of using excessive force in breaking up a student demonstration in central Auckland two years ago. Audio

5:10 PM.A top officer who stole and sold P from the Whangarei police station faces prison time after abruptly pleading guilty today. Audio

5:10 PM.The new Justice Minister has changed tack from her predecessor Judith Collins saying she's interested in how to change the way the court system deals with sexual assault victims. Audio

5:00 PM.A top officer who stole and sold P from a police station prepares to go to jail. The Justice Minister revisits the idea of a special court for sexual abuse cases and Green MP taken to task over Ebola… Read more Audio