Checkpoint for Wednesday 20 March 2013

6:50 PM.The chief executive of the Auckland Council is defending more than ten million dollars of ratepayer-funded travel in the first two years of the Super City. Audio

6:47 PM.The head of Maori studies at Auckland University, Margaret Mutu, says racism against Maori needs to be acknowledged; The Maori Women's Welfare League wants to raise its profile by telling communities… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.South Auckland health leaders were questioned by MPs at a health select committee today about what they're doing to fight rapidly rising type two diabetes. Audio

6:41 PM.A selection of extremely rare and valuable New Zealand artworks are going under the hammer next week, some of which have been locked away in private collections for decades. Audio

6:38 PM.Advocates for survivors of sexual abuse have condemned comments by the Coronation Street actor William Roache suggesting victims are to blame for what happens to them. Audio

6:33 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

6:26 PM.The Reserve Bank is defending its new solution for dealing with a collapsed bank, saying it is nothing like proposals to resolve the financial crisis in Cyprus. Audio

6:24 PM.The Property Council is putting the heat on central and local government to take action on earthquake strengthening, saying they are doing very little to protect the public's safety. Audio

6:20 PM.In business news today - a new survey of employers shows many are reluctant to take on expatriate or immigrant workers, especially if they have never worked overseas themselves. Audio

6:12 PM.More now on the IT specialists who say the technical review of the school payroll system, Novopay, indicates panic and strange practices at the company behind the system, Talent2. Audio

6:10 PM.Derrick Adams is the head HEB Construction which employed George Taiaroa. Audio

6:08 PM.Police investigating the extraordinary shooting of a roadworker doing traffic control, can't yet say if the victim knew his killer or whether it was a random attack. Audio

5:57 PM.A Central North Island mayor is wading in to the fight over oil drilling near Dannevirke, on the side of the prospecters, saying local opponents do not represent the whole community. Audio

5:50 PM.Just three months after 20 children and 6 teachers died in a US primary school massacre, a plan to ban assault weapons is being abandoned by Democrat lawmakers. Audio

5:47 PM.The head of Maori studies at Auckland University, Margaret Mutu, says the Race Relations Commissioner has to acknowledge what she describes as racism against Maori; In an unusal move, the whanau of a… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.An elderly woman has walked out of the museum in Arrowtown with an art work she brazenly took off the wall, carefully folded and put in her bag. Audio

5:40 PM.Former world squash champion Dame Susan Devoy has been appointed to take over as Race Relations Commissioner even though she admits she doesn't have a wealth of experience in race relations. Audio

5:37 PM.IT specialists say the technical review of the school payroll system, Novopay, indicates panic and crazy practices at the company behind the system, Talent2. Audio

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

5:28 PM.The Solicitor-General is appealing the home detention sentence for a man who mugged an 81 year old Auckland woman, tackling her to the ground and breaking her hip. Audio

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

5:18 PM.The Government is refusing to be drawn on how much money might be taken from a depositors' savings to bail out a bank, if it looks like it will fail. Audio

5:14 PM.The Prime Minister has defended the Government's electronic spy agency against accusations it knew in February last year it had illegally monitored the internet millionnaire, Kim Dotcom. Audio

5:12 PM.Derrick Adams is the head HEB Construction which employed George Taiaroa. Audio

5:07 PM.Police investigating the extraordinary shooting of a roadworker doing traffic control, can't yet say if the victim knew his killer or whether it was a random attack. Audio

5:00 PM.Police hunt for the killer of a roadworker. John Key defends the spy agency against more Dotcom allegations and Crown appeals mugger's sentence. Audio