Checkpoint

The Prime Minister has defended his role in the appointment of Ian Fletcher as director of the Government's spy agency. Audio

John Key defends his role in the appointment of the country's top spy. Police investigate how a kidnapping, a car crash and a dead body are all connected and North Korea amps up the pressure on Seoul.

The Chairperson of the Federation of Maori Authorities says her recent trip to Rapanui or Easter Island highlighted the need for Maori to play a bigger leadership role in the Pacific for social and… Read more Audio

Heroin worth at least 100 million dollars has been intercepted by warships in the Indian Ocean in what's said to be one of the largest seizures of the drug in maritime history. Audio

In the US, two landmark Supreme Court cases about same-sex marriage are proving a rallying point for gay-rights. Audio

An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

The North and South Islands may soon have two official names each - one in Maori and one in English. Audio

Confidence in the jobs markets has risen for the fourth quarter in a row, tipping it into positive territory for the first time since September 2011. Audio

People in some of Auckland's poorest communities face having to stump up almost a million dollars a year to use their local swimming pool. Audio

The latest figures show six thousand people have settled with the Crown, but more than 270 haven't. Audio

The Green Party says National needs to stop its asset sales plans to strengthen the Government's hand in the Tiwai talks with Rio Tinto. Audio

The Prime Minister says the Government has no interest in offering a long-term subsidy to the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, and if it can't stand on its own two feet, then it shouldn't be there. Audio