Checkpoint for Thursday 11 December 2014

6:55 PM.Rowing, cycling and yachting are the big winners, while swimming, triathlon and hockey have all had funding cuts in the latest government sports funding decisions. Audio

6:51 PM.A working party set up to investigate how the Kohanga movement should move forward has told up to 15-hundred supporters what it's found. Maori with dreams to build homes on their own land are putting… Read more Audio

6:49 PM.Today MPs questioned the Reserve Bank Governor about the economy, and in particular what he's doing to rein in the cost of residential housing. Audio

6:44 PM.Up front privacy information on smart phone apps telling you whether they'll extract personal information before, not after, you download them - is being pushed by New Zealand's privacy watchdog. Audio

6:40 PM.Researchers have found that smokers who eat a diet high in fibre will have improved lung health. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:27 PM.Demonstrators in Hong Kong have packed up their pillows, blankets, tents and other belongings as police move barricades and start clearing the city's main pro-democracy protest site. Audio

6:24 PM.Recreational and commercial divers are not happy with a Department of Conservation plan to restrict shark cage diving operations around Stewart Island, saying it won't protect the sharks and will… Read more Audio

6:20 PM.A man found guilty of starting a fire in a Wellington storage unit, which spread causing millions of dollars of damage, is tonight in jail awaiting sentencing. Audio

6:16 PM.An emergency department doctor says there are so many drunk and disorderly patients in our waiting rooms that working in a hospital is more like being in a nightclub. Audio

5:58 PM.Time magazine has named those fighting Ebola as its Person of the Year. Audio

5:52 PM.In Australia, the former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks has yelled out at the Attorney-General at a Human Rights Awards ceremony, accusing the Government of knowing he was being tortured. Audio

5:48 PM.Maori with dreams to build homes on their own land are putting their plans in the "too-hard basket". Audio

5:45 PM.Thousands of Auckland rail commuters - whose journeys were disrupted this morning after a train broke down - were further frustrated by a lack of information about what was happening. Audio

5:39 PM.A cannabis bust has unearthed a man wanted for serious violent crimes but who's been evading police for ten years using multiple false identities. Audio

5:37 PM.Auckland's downtown promotion agency is taking legal action against its former long-standing chief executive Alex Swney, who is already facing tax evasion charges. Audio

5:34 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:26 PM.The highest paid public servant is making more than 800-thousand-dollars a year. Audio

5:22 PM.An Australian man who was captured by the CIA in Pakistan and sent to Egypt to be tortured says he'll continue fighting for justice until the day he dies. Audio

5:19 PM.The Reserve Bank has signalled interest rate hikes will be at least a year away. Audio

5:14 PM.Peter Leaitua's lawyer Chris Wilkinson-Smith says the court's decision on the manslaughter charge is an important one. Audio

5:12 PM.A man accused of using his mother-in-law-of as drug mule has walked free in a case that helps set a precedent over the grounds for charging someone with manslaughter. Audio

5:12 PM.New Plymouth residents face drastic cuts in services and a raft of new charges as the city tries to save 40 million dollars. Audio

5:08 PM.A police officer who held a 14 year old boy's throat until he changed colour and almost dislocated his shoulder has been disciplined but won't face criminal charges. Audio

5:00 PM.Officer won't face criminal charges after choking boy, Man cleared of using mother-in-law as drugs mule, The defence lawyer has more, Reserve Bank signals OCR on hold for longer, Australian torture… Read more Audio