Checkpoint for Tuesday 13 September 2011

6:53 PM.The Department of Conservation says the jailing of a man who clubbed seals to death near Kaikoura is the heaviest penalty for animal cruelty it can recall. Audio

6:47 PM.The co-ordinator of the waka used in the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony, Joe Conrad, says it wasn't just waka paddlers who got hurt in big crowds at the event; The Prime Minister, John Key, is… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.Students at Christchurch's Shirley Boys High School were upbeat about their return today to their old school, for the first time since the February earthquake. Audio

6:39 PM.Opposition parties are accusing the Government of not caring about children in poverty after it dismissed a new report from the Child Poverty Action Group. Audio

6:35 PM.An Australian Navy cadet who used a mobile phone to record himself raping a woman while she slept has told a court it was because he wanted to be accepted by his peers. Audio

6:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:23 PM.The latest manufacturing figures for New Zealand show the sector contracting for the first time in nearly a year, drawing comparisons with Australia where there've also been worrying signs of… Read more Audio

6:20 PM.The Reserve Bank and Financial Markets Authority have formed a group to share information, in the hope of preventing further fall-out in the industry. Audio

6:17 PM.A small north Canterbury town is to double in size, with a new housing development and mall set to boost the population and employment in the area. Audio

6:14 PM.The Government is attacking the credibility of a report in the Sydney Morning Herald which claimed an unnamed Minister swore and called the Australian team cheats at a Rugby World Cup game on Sunday. Audio

6:11 PM.Labour says the Government using its special World Cup powers to take control of the Auckland waterfront is merely a face-saving move. Audio

6:08 PM.The Government is taking control of the area around Queens Wharf, in Auckland, for the rest of the Rugby World Cup, developing a plan to deal with transport bottle-necks and large crowds gathered… Read more Audio

5:55 PM.Serbia's Novak Djokovic has claimed his first US Open title, proving why some are calling him the hottest player in tennis right now. Audio

5:52 PM.Returning now to the claims by waka paddlers at rugby world cup festivities on Auckland's waterfront that they were attacked by drunken revellers. Audio

5:49 PM.The Prime Minister, John Key, is brushing off criticism for not using a Maori greeting at the opening of the Rugby World Cup; The co-ordinator of the waka used in the Rugby World Cup opening ceremony… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.House sales in August have surged and there's been a slight rise in property values nationwide. Audio

5:42 PM.The latest now on the government's decision to take control of the Auckland waterfront for the duration of the Rugby World Cup. Audio

5:39 PM.New figures show the beginnings of a recovery in the manufacturing sector being snuffed out in the June quarter. Audio

5:34 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:29 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:22 PM.More now the government's decision today to take control of the Auckland waterfront for the duration of the Rugby World Cup. Audio

5:18 PM.There have been fireworks today at the Royal Commission inquiring into the Pike River mine disaster. Audio

5:14 PM.Waka paddlers at rugby world cup festivities on Auckland's waterfront say they were bashed and kicked by drunken revellers, who broke one woman's rib. Audio

5:08 PM.The Government is taking control of the Auckland waterfront for the rest of the Rugby World Cup. Audio

5:00 PM.The government uses the Rugby World Cup Empowering Act, to take control of Auckland's Waterfront. Waka paddlers at rugby world cup festivities on Auckland's waterfront say they were bashed and kicked… Read more Audio