Checkpoint for Tuesday 20 January 2015

5:00 PM.Parched farmers are agitating for Government action over freeing up water from Lake Tekapo, saying if they had alpine water they wouldn't be in such dire straits. Four children are lucky to be alive… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.Parched farmers are agitating for Government action over freeing up water from Lake Tekapo, saying if they had alpine water they wouldn't be in such dire straits. Audio

5:16 PM.A Whanganui man who admits helping murderer and paedophile Phillip Smith get the passport he used to flee to Brazil, ended up having a meltdown and threatened to kill a police officer. Audio

5:18 PM.Frontline police officers are worried that they're not receiving enough training with their guns - with their live fire training being replaced with video simulator exercises. Audio

5:22 PM.Four children are lucky to be alive after trying to cross Nelson harbour in a blow-up boat, triggering a major rescue Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:34 PM.The New Zealand dollar has fallen against the currencies of our trading partners today, including losing four-fifths of a US cent. Audio

5:37 PM.A police chase turned into a police escort for a speeding midwife taking a woman in heavy labour, to a Far North hospital yesterday morning. Audio

5:41 PM.Businesses are hiring more staff as they continue to feel upbeat about 2015. Audio

5:45 PM.There are conflicting accounts of how a stand off between guards and asylum seekers on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island came to an end. Audio

5:50 PM.The Prime Minister says the Government will make a decision in the next month or so about whether to send forces to Iraq to train troops there in the fight against Islamic insurgents. Audio

5:53 PM.Plant and Food Research is focussing on recruiting Maori students to fulfil a growing need for specialist skills in horticulture and food science. Audio

5:56 PM.Pope Francis has supported the right of parents to choose the size of their families, saying good Roman Catholics don't have to - ' be like rabbits'. Audio

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

6:12 PM.Farmers in South Canterbury are pushing to tap into Lake Tekapo as they face weeks of more extremely dry conditions. Audio

6:17 PM.A Whakatane man who's been questioning the integrity of police over not charging an officer who shot a dog with a bow and arrow, is vowing not to give up. Audio

6:24 PM.China has revealed its weakest annual growth in more than two decades. Audio

6:38 PM.An ex test cricketer is calling for the Cricket World Cup organisers to give umpires more power to stop on-field abuse in the tournament that begins next month. Audio

6:42 PM.Fresh calls have been made in Fiji to change the country's media laws, now that a democracy is in place. The Media Industry Development Decree, gazetted in 2010, has strict requirements for reporting… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.The Maori Party says the need for new and affordable housing should not drive reform of the Resource Management Act. Plant and Food Research has been focussing on recruiting Maori students, to help… Read more Audio

6:48 PM.The Coronation Street star, Anne Kirkbride, who played the husky voiced, bespectacled, Deirdre Barlow in the long-running TV soap, has died aged 60 after more than 40 years on the show. Audio