Checkpoint for Wednesday 9 December 2015

6:51 PM.Snap debate on non-renewal of Serco's Mt Eden Prison management contract; Prime Minister John Key withdraws and apologises for his "Labour backs rapists" comment; Labour leader Andrew Little accepts… Read more Audio

6:48 PM.Transpower says New Zealand's electricity supply could be at risk in a cold dry winter when Genesis Energy shuts its coal-burning power plants at Huntly in 2018. Audio

6:46 PM.Promises are being made to develop affordable housing at an old rundown Air Force in Wellington on prime land, but the price tag for some will be as much as three-and-a-half million dollars. Audio

6:42 PM.The smallest university, Lincoln, says it needs an extra 500 students to ensure its long-term survival. Audio

6:38 PM.A competition law specialist is questioning why the government has chosen not to allow criminal convictions to be imposed on businesses colluding in cartels. Audio

6:36 PM.Premier Beehive ham is being recalled because of fears it may contain listeria. Audio

6:26 PM.A legal expert says social media use is rising massively but there are serious negatives for mental health, with young people most at risk. Audio

6:23 PM.While ministers and negotiators race around trying to pin down a deal at the climate change talks in Paris, they are watched at a polite distance by thousands of accredited observers. Audio

6:19 PM.The Minister in charge of the country's spy agencies, Chris Finlayson, is reluctant to give more details about women travelling to Islamic State-controlled areas. Audio

6:12 PM.Serco is losing its contract to run one of only two private prisons in the country, after video showing fight clubs at Mt Eden, drug use and assaults there, and with an investigation into all that… Read more Audio

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

5:57 PM.Wellington is cutting the speed limit in several suburbs to 30 kilometres an hour. Audio

5:51 PM.Queenstown's rogue freedom campers will soon find escaping the tourist town without paying their fines a lot more difficult. Audio

5:47 PM.Amandeep Kaur and her lover blame each other for the murder of Mrs Kaur's husband. Audio

5:41 PM.Some in the Muslim community are calling on the head of the SIS to show them the evidence that an increasing number of New Zealand women are joining Islamic State. Audio

5:39 PM.New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum says he stands by the evidence he gave at Chris Cairns' perjury trial in London. Audio

5:37 PM.The Corrections department says it will use a break point in their contract with the private prison operator not to renew it in March 2017. Audio

5:35 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:27 PM.Parliament has risen for the year and the final Question Time had a festive theme. Audio

5:22 PM.Deportee Johnny Anderson is fresh off a plane, sitting in Papakura, holding in his hand a bill for seven and a half thousand dollars. Audio

5:19 PM.Two men deported from Australia after serving time in prison have appeared in court on an aggravated robbery charge a year after being sent back to New Zealand. Audio

5:15 PM.The Security Intelligence Service says there is a "realistic possibility" someone who's been fighting alongside ISIS could return to New Zealand in the near future, and pose a significant threat. Audio

5:11 PM.Another prompt for the chief inspector to investigate Mt Eden was the death of Nick Evans in May this year shortly after he was transferred out of the prison. Audio

5:08 PM.Serco has lost it controversial contract to run Mount Eden prison. Audio

5:00 PM.Serco has lost it controversial contract to run Mount Eden prison. Another prompt for the chief inspector to investigate Mt Eden was the death of Nick Evans in May this year shortly after he was… Read more Audio