Checkpoint for Tuesday 21 June 2011

6:57 PM.KiwiRail says it could be at least two years before passenger numbers for its TranzAlpine service recover to pre-earthquake levels. Audio

6:53 PM.The British government's says it's geared up to fight cyber warfare after revealing its computer systems are under regular attack. Audio

6:50 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

6:47 PM.A group of beleaguered early childhood centres in Christchurch are agitating for government help because they don't qualify for emergency funding. Audio

6:43 PM.The Black caps New Zealand cricket team has a new captain, Ross Taylor. Audio

6:41 PM.The police are dismissing speculation they've found the body of Brett Hall, who's now been missing from his Whanganui lifestyle block for more than three weeks. Audio

6:38 PM.Consumer New Zealand says people tempted to apply for a loan via text messaging shouldn't touch it with a bargepole. Audio

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

6:28 PM.A union in Christchurch says some managers have reached the end of their tether since last Monday's aftershocks and are taking it out on their workers. Audio

6:23 PM.Scientists are warning there's a high risk of ocean species becoming extinct at a rate that is unprecedented in human history. Audio

6:22 PM.Mary Wilson reports on the latest flights effected by the volcanic ash. Audio

6:18 PM.The Retirement Commissioner says children are leaving school without the skills necessary to cope in a complex financial world, and the Government should stump up with more cash for financial… Read more Audio

6:14 PM.Fiji could ask New Zealand to arrest the former military commander Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara as soon as he arrives here under urgency provisions in the extradition treaty between the two… Read more Audio

6:09 PM.The Prime Minister, John Key, says the way the Pike River mine was constructed would not have been legal in Australia. Audio

6:06 PM.After several days of clear skies and all-clear flights, a growing number of transtasman planes are again being grounded by the ash cloud from a Chilean volcano. Audio

5:57 PM.Two of Wellington's new commuter trains have been withdrawn from service as an electrical fault is investigated. Audio

5:53 PM.Housing New Zealand is rejecting claims of discrimination against three Mongrel Mob families its looking to evict from the troubled Lower Hutt suburb of Pomare. Audio

5:48 PM.News from the Waatea team. Audio

5:43 PM.Medical device manufacturers say they fear they'll face extra red tape and costs once a new trans-tasman regulator is set up. Audio

5:37 PM.More than 50 people have protested outside Auckland Hospital this afternoon over violent assaults by patients on mental health nurses. Audio

5:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:26 PM.The jailed former MP Phillip Field is awaiting the outcome of a last-ditch bid to have his convictions for bribery and corruption overturned. Audio

5:23 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:19 PM.Kapiti Coast locals are scared that a rare Antarctic visitor is going to be ripped apart by dogs. Audio

5:16 PM.The Prime Minister, John Key, is standing by his statement that the way the mine was constructed would not have been legal in Australia. Audio

5:11 PM.Cabinet ministers meet tonight to try to finally decide on a plan for what land in Christchurch will be abandoned. Audio

5:10 PM.The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin is monitoring the ash cloud and its head Andrew Tupper is with us. Audio

5:07 PM.Disruption looms again for travellers with a number of trans-tasman flights cancelled today as the volcanic ash cloud from a Chilean volcano makes its second circuit of the globe. Audio

5:00 PM.Volcanic ash once again grounds some Transtasman flights. Cabinet Ministers meet under pressure to announce a decision on Christchurch and John Key denies doing an about-face on Pike River mine's… Read more Audio