Checkpoint for Wednesday 19 November 2014

6:55 PM.Researchers from Otago University have discovered and named a new species of whale that lived between 26 to 25 million years ago. Audio

6:51 PM.The agency that funds universities and polytechs is defending its decision to let hundreds of students keep certificates in Maori Performing Arts when it's unclear if they actually did the work. Audio

6:48 PM.The hostilities between outspoken Australian senator Jacqui Lambie and her party leader have hit a new low with with Senator Lambie being demoted. Audio

6:48 PM.The Maori Party co-leader, Te Ururoa Flavell, says he's devastated by the sudden death of a staunch personal and political supporter; A Maori artist whose work was rejected for a Rotorua exhibition… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.A man has died after he jumped out of an ambulance and ran in front of a truck. Audio

6:34 PM.The family of a jogger walked out of an inquest in Wellington today, and the coroner has decided to bring in security guards tomorrow to keep control of the hearing. Audio

6:25 PM.North Korea is a step closer to an investigation by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. Audio

6:20 PM.John Key is reassuring farmers that global dairy prices will soon rebound, but in the meantime farmers carrying a lot of debt face trouble. Audio

6:18 PM.The police are promising tight security around a visit from the President of China that begins in a few hours. Audio

6:11 PM.The chief executive of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority, who has quit under the cloud of sexual misconduct, has been placed on 'gardening leave' in his half a million dollar a year job. Audio

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

5:55 PM.A century-old mystery of the whereabouts of a ship that was carrying the bodies of almost 500 men from New Zealand to China has been solved. Audio

5:53 PM.The teenager charged with the fatal stabbing of a promising rugby league player outside a Grey Lynn party has lost his name suppression. Audio

5:51 PM.A judge has handed a Wellington bus company a reduced fine for repeatedly catching passengers in closing bus doors. Audio

5:47 PM.A Maori artist whose work was pulled out of an exhibition because it was deemed too controversial is demanding the Rotorua District Council apologise to Te Arawa. Audio

5:42 PM.The Japanese brewing giant Asahi has won 220-million dollars in one of Australia's largest ever commercial damages cases, over a New Zealand subsidiary. Audio

5:38 PM.The man accused of killing a New Zealand tourist at his Surfers Paradise apartment has been granted bail. Audio

5:35 PM.The families of staff at two engineering companies in Taranaki face a hard Christmas as more than 50 redundancies are announced. Audio

5:32 PM.The New Zealand dollar first of all; lost about two-thirds of a US cent today after the latest poor global dairy auction. Audio

5:27 PM.An Auckland man has been sentenced for using more than 100-thousand dollars accidentally transferred into his bank account to go on a gambling spree. Audio

5:20 PM.Two trout poachers who carried out what a judge today labelled a slaughter in a stream near Rotorua face a possible jail term after being found guilty. Audio

5:18 PM.A Southland farmer's been left less than convinced by the Prime Minister's assurance that global dairy prices will soon rebound. Audio

5:14 PM.Labour leader Andrew Little has blasted Iain Rennie over his handling of the Sutton case accusing him of being reckless and failing public servants. Audio

5:08 PM.Earthquake repair boss Roger Sutton is now on gardening leave in his half a million dollar a year job with an acting chief executive being brought in early, as the sexual harassment case rolls on.

5:00 PM.Roger Sutton is placed on gardening leave as the harrassment scandal rolls on. Two trout poachers could be sent to jail and depressing dairy prices for farmers. Audio