Checkpoint for Thursday 15 October 2015

6:53 PM.Finance minister, Bill English, rejects claims from his Labour shadow, Grant Robertson, that his first operating surplus since taking office was won at the expense of repairs to Canterbury earthquake… Read more Audio

6:49 PM.An international study shows Maori have a higher chance of getting cancer than non-Maori, but the same is not true for other countries' indigenous peoples; The National Urban Maori Authority is urging… Read more Audio

6:41 PM.A regional council is dismissing claims it's been too slow to act over DDT and arsenic which sat beside a South Canterbury river for over a month. Audio

6:35 PM.Research carried out at Waikato Hospital looks to have found the surest way of treating one of the commonest causes of brain damage in babies. Audio

6:28 PM.Three small houses have been deliberately deluged to try to understand how floodwater damages buildings and materials. Audio

6:25 PM.The hunt is under way for a cunning rat that's been dodging traps for more than a month on the predator free Ulva Island. Audio

6:16 PM.Timaru is still not taking drinking water from a catchment where DDT and arsenic were dumped beside a river. Audio

6:11 PM.Top executives have slammed a Green Party quota promise to put together a Cabinet that's half female as misguided. Audio

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

5:52 PM.An international study shows Maori have a higher chance of getting cancer than non-Maori, but the same is not true for other countries' indigenous peoples. It shows that inequalities for cancer is… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.A defence lawyer has suggested to a teenage boy he made up allegations his social worker took him to a motel, and had sex with him when he was 15. Audio

5:44 PM.The Canterbury Regional Council says test results took longer than expected, which is why DDT and arsenic sat beside a river bank for over a month. Audio

5:39 PM.The head of Australia's Federal Police is warning that the country is facing a worsening threat from terrorism. Audio

5:36 PM.The Government says it has no plans to bring home the remains of soldiers who died in wars in Vietnam and Malaysia, despite renewed pressure to look again at this. Audio

5:33 PM.Consumers are playing a happier tune with confidence levels rising to a four month high. Audio

5:26 PM.The Christchurch City Council has banned window washers from working intersections. Audio

5:19 PM.Top executives have slammed a Green Party promise to put together a Cabinet that's half female is misguided. Audio

5:16 PM.The Prime Minister is promising to obey the law if the Government is found to have wrongly stopped the Chinese-owned company Shanghai Pengxin from buying Lochinver Station near Taupo. Audio

5:14 PM.The Workplace Safety Minister says his decision to use highly misleading health and safety data proved to be problematic, and that the Government has subsequently ditched it. Audio

5:10 PM.A fireworks display that went badly wrong, shooting shrapnel into a 50 thousand-strong crowd, at a Bledisloe Cup game last year has cost an Auckland firm more than 100 thousand dollars Audio

5:08 PM.The whanau of a young father shot while hunting with friends says it's a tragic accident. Audio

5:00 PM.Another hunter is shot dead - the second in a week. A big fine for a dangerous fireworks display at a rugby test match and a ban on car window washers. Audio