Checkpoint for Friday 2 December 2011

6:48 PM.Over the weekend the Rotorua Council is hosting descendants of a woman whom the mayor says was a national tourism pioneer; About a hundred and 50 people including the Maori Anglican Bishop in Bay of… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.After last Saturday's election the National Party is on the verge of forming a second-term government. The ACT and United Future Parties are set to sign a deal with National while the Maori Party will… Read more Audio

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

6:27 PM.Most New Zealand adults are eating too much salt and processed food is to blame. That's the finding from an Otago University study that was released in Queenstown today. Audio

6:25 PM.More now on the police in Christchurch ramping up their investigation into a missing teenage boy. Audio

6:22 PM.Former Hanover Finance boss Mark Hotchin's assets will stay frozen after a High Court ruling today. Audio

6:12 PM.To Japan, where simulations show the Fukushima nuclear power station came closer to total meltdown than previously thought, following the devastating quake in March. Audio

6:10 PM.A New Zealand woman has been charged with torture following the death of her daughter in Australia. Audio

6:06 PM.A leading banker is downplaying today's credit ratings downgrades of all the Australian-owned banks. Audio

5:52 PM.The Transport Agency may begin working around the clock to clear a massive slip in the Manawatu Gorge. State Highway Three in the gorge has been closed since August, when the first of several slips… Read more Audio

5:50 PM.Bad weather has stopped the recovery of containers from the cargo ship Rena. It's now almost two months since the vessel ran aground on the Astrolabe reef off the coast of Tauranga. Audio

5:48 PM.The Rotorua Mayor is holding a reception tonight, to celebrate the life of the principal tour guide at the famous Pink and White Terraces, south east of Rotorua; The Maori Anglican Bishop in Bay of… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.Northland's new police commander Russel Le Prou says anyone who's got information about Wednesday's fire but who is reluctant to come forward can always contact them anonymously. Audio

5:45 PM.Two thirds of New Zealanders eat too much salt and new research from Otago University blames processed food. Audio

5:43 PM.Solid Energy has used a public meeting it called to dismiss widely publicised claims of safety lapses at its Huntly East coalmine. Audio

5:40 PM.The police in Christchurch have ramped up their investigation into a missing teenage boy, cordoning off and searching a property where he was last seen. Audio

5:35 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.The construction industry is warning that too few people are enrolling in trade training courses to meet the needs of the rebuild of Christchurch. Audio

5:25 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:23 PM.Fonterra has for the first time given a deadline to farmers to force them to fence off their waterways to cut down on dirty dairying. Audio

5:20 PM.A top banker says the unfolding debt crisis in Europe will have a much greater effect on local banks borrowing costs than today's ratings downgrade. Audio

5:10 PM.The head of the company which lost the pilot John de Ridder in the helicopter crash on Wednesday night says whoever lit the fire on the Karekare Peninsula should be charged with manslaughter. Audio

5:05 PM.Fire investigators are following strong leads on what started a scrub fire that led to a fatal helicopter crash in the Far North. Audio

5:00 PM.Strong leads on Far North fires that led to chopper crash;Salt Air boss wants arsonist charged with manslaughter;Top banker downplays credit rating cut;Dairy farmers given deadline to fence off… Read more Audio