Checkpoint for Tuesday 2 June 2015

6:56 PM.There's new evidence that standing, while working at the office, rather than sitting all day-long, is good for you and can extend your life. Audio

6:50 PM.He's a fireman, he talks and he's made of Lego. But would you want to have a conversation with him? Audio

6:50 PM.Budget Debate ends after 15 hours in 63-58 vote, the government's majority assured by its three support parties. Finance minister devotes his right of reply to an all-out attack on the Labour Party. A… Read more Audio

6:48 PM.Former Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples is to become a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his dedication to the promotion of Maori kaupapa for more than 50 years; A Maori… Read more Audio

6:35 PM.Dumped distress beacons are wasting tens of thousands of dollars, causing unnecessary rescue missions and risking lives of people who really need help. Audio

6:27 PM.The territorial dispute in the South China Sea is reaching a flash point with China arguing its island building in the contested waters is justifed, legitimate and reasonable. Audio

6:22 PM.A year on from the two Malaysian Airlines disasters, the company is now saying it's technically bankrupt and will cut up to six thousand jobs to keep going. Audio

6:10 PM.Ghetto-like Northland College has no guarantee from the Education Ministry that it will be rebuilt despite years of talking about it, and the Government's now being taken to task over it. Audio

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

5:57 PM.The Prime Minister has congratulated new Green Party co-leader, James Shaw, but has spurned his offer to work together on climate change. Audio

5:52 PM.Former Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples is to become a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his massive contribution to Maoridom. Audio

5:50 PM.A New Zealand lawyer who investigated corruption at FIFA says he was hamstrung by the organisation which denied him access to key evidence. Audio

5:47 PM.The decision by the American oil giant Chevron to sell Caltex to Z Energy for 785 million dollars could have a knock on effect for motorists here. Audio

5:45 PM.The Minister responsible for Housing New Zealand says regardless of how run-down state houses are that the Government wants to sell, they won't be given away to iwi for free. Audio

5:38 PM.A lawyer for campaigners opposed to extending Auckland's Bledisloe Wharf has suggested the council showed bias in the giving the project resource consent. Audio

5:35 PM.The New Zealand dollar has recovered some of the ground lost over night, after falling against the US dollar. Audio

5:25 PM.A young woman badly injured in a fatal crash last year in Dunedin has told the driver she hates him and will never forgive him for killing two of her friends. Audio

5:23 PM.The Prime Minister is warning that people smugglers are now using boats able to reach New Zealand, after 65 boatpeople were intercepted off Indonesia heading for this country. Audio

5:17 PM.Hundreds are feared dead after a passenger ship capsized on the Yangtze River in southern China with 458 people on board. Audio

5:13 PM.The commissioner at Northland College is Chris Saunders. He says they still don't have any guarantee from the Education Ministry that their school will be rebuilt. Audio

5:10 PM.The Northland MP Winston Peters has challenged the government to explain why it's spent millions on a new charter school in the north while forcing children in Kaikohe to study in unsafe, derelict… Read more Audio

5:07 PM.A woman quietly sobbing was the only sound that could be heard as CCTV footage of Arun Kumar being stabbed in his dairy was played at the High Court in Auckland. Audio

5:00 PM.Video of a dairy owner being stabbed and killed is shown in court; Spending on "ghetto" - like school challenged; No guarantee of school rebuild; Hundreds feared dead as ship capsizes in Yangtze… Read more Audio