Checkpoint for Thursday 30 April 2015

6:56 PM.The New Zealand China Council is calling for many more New Zealanders to learn Mandarin. Audio

6:51 PM.Korean trade deal up for consideration by Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade Committee - who hear from Auckland University Law Professor Jane Kelsey; Free trade issues also subject of questions to Todd… Read more Audio

6:47 PM.An iwi-owned company has landed a new deal to supply Dubai with emergency food pouches; The Te Matatini National Committee has announced the dates of when the next national kapa haka competition will… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.The Government says tenants will be well looked after when it hands over ownership of thousands of state homes, but Labour's casting doubt on that. Audio

6:39 PM.An Auckland fund manager says he's hoping to meet a huge untapped demand for home loans that comply with Muslim sharia law. Audio

6:35 PM.A New Zealand mountaineer, frustrated at the time it's taking to get desperately needed aid to remote areas, is setting up his own rescue team. Audio

6:27 PM.A call today for the Government to allow school students to vote on the future of New Zealand's flag has fallen on deaf ears. Audio

6:23 PM.The lawyer for a New Zealander currently facing the death penalty in Indonesia says he doesn't want the government interfering, yet. Audio

6:14 PM.The Ports of Auckland chief executive Tony Gibson is with us. Audio

6:14 PM.Auckland's Chamber of Commerce says a proposed council levy to fund Auckland's major transport projects is lazy and unfair. Audio

6:12 PM.A divisive extension of Auckland's wharves has won the go ahead but only because the mayor used his casting vote to break a council deadlock this afternoon. Audio

6:06 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:54 PM.The American mining giant Newmont is quitting this country after a quarter of a century, selling its Waihi mine to Oceana Gold. Audio

5:51 PM.An iwi-owned company has landed a new deal to supply Dubai with emergency food pouches. The wealthy Arab emirate is buying relief packs from New Zealand to dispatch to countries hit by disasters. From… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.A Waikato dairy farmer has described today's drop in forecast milk payout as just another blow for farmers still recovering from extreme weather which brought drought and flooding in different parts… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.A police crash expert says he believes Blessie Gotingco was walking on the footpath when she was hit by a car. Audio

5:39 PM.The head of the company taking over thousands of Auckland state houses says they may have to hire Housing New Zealand staff to help run them. Audio

5:36 PM.The Hastings District Council must pay 65 thousand dollars to the family of a small boy run over and killed in a park by a tractor mower. Audio

5:33 PM.The New Zealand dollar fell more than one cent against the US dollar this morning, after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand removed the prospect of an increase to the official cash rate. Audio

5:24 PM.More now on our lead story. And a casting vote by Auckland's Mayor this afternoon has given the go-ahead to one of two controversial wharf extensions. Audio

5:21 PM.In Nepal, the slow pace of the relief effort, especially in remote areas, is prompting a Wanaka mountain guide to set up his own rescue team. Audio

5:16 PM.A court has awarded 25-million dollars in compensation to the residents of a leaky Auckland high-rise apartment that was flawed from top to bottom. Audio

5:12 PM.One of the organisers of the public campaign against the wharf extension says the port's offer to halt one of them is a one-fingered salute to the people of Auckland. Audio

5:07 PM.One of Auckland's two controversial wharf extensions has won the go ahead by the narrowest of margins. Audio

5:00 PM.A partial backdown by the Ports of Auckland over its extension plans. The slow pace of the relief in Nepal and the forecast milk payout drops again. Audio