Checkpoint for Monday 9 March 2015

6:51 PM.A study shows not many Maori are taking defensive driving courses to fast track their licenses; A member of a marae within the Ngati Whatua confederation has joined the protest to save a kauri tree in… Read more Audio

6:40 PM.Australasia's top group of surgeons has hit out at one of their own, a woman who says she tells her trainees not to report sexual harrassment if they want ot advance their careers. Audio

6:37 PM.The deputy Health and Disability commissioner has censured a pharmacist for giving a woman the wrong medication causing her IVF treatment to be delayed Audio

6:34 PM.The families of the Australian drug smugglers, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, are paying their first visit to the condemned men, on the island where they are due to be executed. Audio

6:21 PM.The Wellington region's DHBs are promising to get it right with a contentious overhaul of lab testing. Audio

6:17 PM.A former councillor, who runs the country's only car share company is critical of the plan. Audio

6:15 PM.The Auckland Council is promising a major electric car sharing scheme to reduce traffic jams and pollution won't cost ratepayers a cent. Audio

6:12 PM.National is being accused of cynical pork-barrel politics by making a multimillion dollar roading announcement in Northland during the by-election campaign. Audio

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

5:54 PM.A study shows not many Maori are taking part in defensive driving courses. An Otago University researcher interviewed four-thousand New Zealanders nationwide to investigate who takes driver education… Read more Audio

5:50 PM.The police have issued a tresspass notice to Michael Tavares the protester 25 metres up an ancient Kauri in West Auckland. Audio

5:46 PM.An Islamic state recruit, dubbed "Britain's White Jihadi" by the UK press, is actually a suburban school boy from Australia, called Jake. Audio

5:39 PM.Aotea Pathology is promising to cooperate with a rival company poised to take over all medical lab testing in the Wellington region, despite that spelling the end of the line for Aotea. Audio

5:36 PM.The New Zealand dollar has continued to weaken today, after taking a big step down in late trading Friday in New York. Audio

5:28 PM.A lack of supervision and expertise has been described as disastrous in the delivery of a baby girl, who died shortly after she was born. Audio

5:25 PM.A friend of a Kaipara man killed when a cannon went off by mistake says he was safety conscious through and through. Audio

5:20 PM.A contentious overhaul of medical lab testing in Wellington cleared a crucial hurdle today in the face of bitter opposition from some pathologists. Audio

5:15 PM.But Mr Key is adamant it does not monitor New Zealanders' communications. Audio

5:12 PM.One of the most outspoken campaigners for the replacement of the two Matakohe bridges near where she lives says the project was already well on its way to being funded, and Winston Peters shouldn't be… Read more Audio

5:08 PM.Winston Peters is chalking it up as the first victory in his campaign for the Northland seat. Audio

5:00 PM.Will new bridges in Northland give voters new incentives to vote National? John Key is not ruling out mass collection of data by the GCSB but denies mass surveillance and the Kaipara man killed by a… Read more Audio