Checkpoint for Wednesday 18 May 2011

6:50 PM.In more than 6000 Canterbury homes, the main form of heating still isn't working, and winter is about to set in. Audio

6:46 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:43 PM.MPs have been told there's no need for the Tertiary Education Minister to meddle in how tertiary institutions use the student services levy. Audio

6:41 PM.Dan Carter is staying and his home town is delighted. The All Black first five has turned down big money from clubs overseas to sign up again with the New Zealand Rugby Union for another four years. Audio

6:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:25 PM.The Government is taking a step towards opening up ACC to competition despite warnings it will be no help at all. Audio

6:22 PM.Consumers confidence has risen slightly, but households are still cautious about spending. Audio

6:19 PM.The Auckland mayor, Len Brown, wants to make Manukau's learn-to-swim-for-free programme available throughout Auckland. Audio

6:13 PM.Farmers are ganging up to take on poachers across increasingly large swathes of the South Island. Under a new anti-poaching scheme, anyone prosecuted for unlawful hunting gets served with a trespass… Read more Audio

6:08 PM.Telstraclear says its million-dollar advertising campaign arguing for more rules around ultra fast broadband was well worth it, but the Government says it's wasted its money. Audio

5:56 PM.The Moriori community is shocked and saddened after an ancient Moriori tree carving, aged between two-hundred and five-hundred years old, was vandalised at a Historic Reserve on the Chatham Islands. Audio

5:52 PM.The Government's taking a step towards opening up ACC to competition by splitting off its disputes resolution service. Audio

5:49 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:41 PM.Former Auckland mayor and Cabinet Minister John Banks has confirmed he'll run for Act in the Epsom seat at November's election. Audio

5:39 PM.Dan Carter says he turned down some significant offers from overseas clubs because he wants to continue playing for the All Blacks. Audio

5:37 PM.The Government is rejecting reports that dairy farmers aren't paying enough tax. Audio

5:35 PM.Trimble Navigation's says it's determined to stay in Christchurch despite its main building being gutted by a blaze which also injured three fire-fighters. Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.The Labour Party stepped up its attacks today on the National-led Government over its policies and the high cost of living, on the eve of its third budget. Audio

5:24 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.The defection of Fiji's Lieutenant Colonel Ratu Tevita Mara to Tonga is another sign of the tensions at play within the region, as well as inside Fiji itself according to New Zealand's Foreign Affairs… Read more Audio

5:15 PM.Dan Carter, has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union for the next four years. He will continue playing for the Crusaders until the end of the 2015 season, and has the option of taking a playing… Read more Audio

5:12 PM.Telstra Clear says the companies building the ultra-fast broadband network could still charge high prices for broadband despite a move to manage the roll-out. Audio

5:08 PM.Customs has seized a huge amount of a rare drug they say is a dangerous, Class A hallucinogen. They found 18 kilograms of the drug DMT or dimethyltryptamine at a house in Blenheim. Audio

5:00 PM.Big seizure of rare drug startles Customs, Telstra Clear says changes may not stop anti-competitiveness, Lure of All Black jersey too strong for Carter, Southern farmers unite to target poachers… Read more Audio