Checkpoint for Wednesday 21 January 2015

6:50 PM.The Minister for Maori Development says most iwi invest settlement payouts wisely and the latest case with Ngati Tuwharetoa appears to be an unfortunate exception. Nga Pae o Te Maramatanga has been… Read more Audio

6:48 PM.It's been a tight second round contest for Maria Sharapova at the Australian Open in Melbourne. Audio

6:46 PM.The bright flashes of radio waves caused by a cosmic radio burst have been witnessed live for the first time by Australian scientists. Audio

6:40 PM.The mysterious death of an Argentine prosecutor just hours before he was due to appear before congress with evidence of a government plot to cover up a car bombing two decades ago, has sparked street… Read more Audio

6:33 PM.The Department of Conservation has apologised for letting a private company take more walkers on the Routeburn Track. Audio

6:21 PM.The Government believes it's possible to cut the cost of a house or section by tens of thousands of dollars with changes to the Resource Management Act. Audio

6:16 PM.Sounds Air is buying two planes in a long-term deal to fill the gap left by Air New Zealand pulling out of Westport. Audio

6:11 PM.An inquiry has found a central North Island iwi lost a big chunk of its 66 million dollar Treaty settlement with a run of bad loans and poor investments. Audio

5:56 PM.When her mother's car caught fire, six year old Georgia Douds-Needham remembered her lessons at school about emergencies and called in the firefighters. Audio

5:50 PM.Ukraine is claiming that Russian regular forces have attacked its army units as they fight pro-Russian rebels in control of eastern areas of the country. Audio

5:45 PM.An aviation expert says it would've been chaos in the Air Asia flight's cockpit as the plane ascended at a near impossible speed before last month's fatal crash. Audio

5:42 PM.Freedom campers in a Christchurch carpark are drawing the ire of some local people upset at the noise and rubbish left behind. Audio

5:38 PM.Inflation's fallen and is expected to tumble even further in the next three months, keeping interest rates steady. A big factor is falling fuel costs, with one economist estimating the savings drivers… Read more Audio

5:35 PM.New Zealand shares shot to yet another record today, the Top 50 Index hitting 5675 before closing at 5673, up 40 points. The New Zealand dollar has fallen following weak dairy auction results and… Read more Audio

5:24 PM.A new partnership is stepping in to the gap left by Air New Zealand pulling out of Westport. Audio

5:19 PM.President Obama says the United States is ready to "turn the page" after years of vicious recession and long and costly wars. Audio

5:15 PM.Motorway barriers were never upgraded for heavy vehicles at the point a truck plunged off an Auckland motorway and down onto lanes below on Sunday. Audio

5:11 PM.An inquiry has found a central North Island iwi trust saw its 66-million dollar Treaty of Waitangi settlement reduce dramatically to just 16-million in a string of bad financial moves. Audio

5:08 PM.The police are remaining tight lipped about how a 16-month-old boy died on the grounds of Whanganui Hospital. Audio

5:00 PM.The police are remaining tight lipped about how a 16-month-old boy died on the grounds of Whanganui Hospital. President Obama says the United States is ready to "turn the page" after years of vicious… Read more Audio