Checkpoint

Our reporter Leilani Momoisea is in Samoa - she spoke to us moments before coming to air. Audio

The acting Prime Minister Bill English has met with the Samoan Consul General in Auckland this afternoon to work on arrangements to get emergency supplies into Samoa. Audio

Meanwhile an aid worker in Samoa says the situation is dire with over-flowing hospitals, people still stuck in the mountains, and a severe shortage of food and water. Audio

Four New Zealanders have now been confirmed dead in the Samoan tsunami and there are grave fears for two others. Audio

Marriage bureaus in India are reporting a twenty percent drop in demand for bridegrooms from abroad. Audio

Chinese leaders have been toasting the establishment of the People's Republic which took power from the Guo Min Dang (formerly Chiang Kai Shek's Kuo Mintang) or Nationalists sixty years ago. Audio

The Labour MP Luamanuvao Winnie Laban is in Samoa visiting the south east coast of the main island - worst hit by yesterday's tsunami. She says the situation on the island is horrific. Audio

A mobster belonging to the Japanese yakuza or mafia has been spared the hangman's noose in a significant ruling by the High Court. Audio

News from the Waatea team. Audio

The Transport Minister, Steven Joyce, has asked for advice on whether law changes are needed to keep smaller airports safe. Audio

The Government says that from today rest homes will be subject to random spot audits under a two-month pilot project that will be rolled out permanently in January. Audio

Crime rates in New Zealand are up - with the biggest increases recorded for drug related and violent offences. Audio