Checkpoint for Tuesday 2 July 2013

6:55 PM.The lure of low interest rates, freebies and cash have helped push the number of fixed term mortgages to their highest level in more than two years. Audio

6:52 PM.An 11 million dollar compensation fund set up by the owner and insurer of the container ship Rena is likely to cover the claims of those who lost business because of the grounding. Audio

6:48 PM.The former Maori Party MP, Rahui Katene, still has her sights set on jointly leading the party; A Tauranga-based iwi, Ngai Te Rangi and the government, have moved a step forward in treaty… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.A member of the Egyptian community in New Zealand says the military can be trusted more than the current rulers to make Egypt a democracy. Audio

6:36 PM.The head of the world airline's association has criticised the government for letting airports get away with overcharging, say regulations here are too light-handed Audio

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

6:21 PM.Two more members of the Owen Glenn Inquiry have quit in the latest blow to his campaign targeting child abuse and domestic violence. Audio

6:17 PM.The Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce says its members are worried about the quality of the building consents they have. Audio

6:14 PM.Peter Love, of Te Atiawa, lives in the Ikaroa-Rawhiti electorate and blames the Maori Party's poor showing there on Dr Sharples. Audio

6:09 PM.The Prime Minister is rubbishing claims that the Maori Party's support has been hurt by it's relationship with the National Party. Audio

5:56 PM.The Auckland Council has decided there is merit in splitting some of the higher-density housing zones in its hotly-debated thirty year blueprint. Audio

5:53 PM.US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has accused President Barack Obama of denying him his right to asylum. Audio

5:50 PM.The former Maori Party MP, Rahui Katene, still has her sights set on jointly leading the party; A Tauranga-based iwi, Ngai Te Rangi and the government, have moved a step forward in treaty… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.New Zealanders spent almost one-point-five-billion-dollars on takeaways last year, up 25-percent in four years. Audio

5:36 PM.MPs have heard opposing views this afternoon on whether a proposed law change will extend the powers of the electronic spy agency, the GCSB. Audio

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

5:24 PM.Two members of the Owen Glenn Inquiry have resigned in a blow to his campaign to tackle child abuse and domestic violence. Audio

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

5:15 PM.The Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee, has defended the government's handling of the Christchurch City Council's consenting crisis in Parliament this afternoon. Audio

5:13 PM.The former justice minister Sir Douglas Graham and three other former directors of Lombard Finance have had their sentences increased to home detention. Audio

5:10 PM.Pita Sharples will relinquish his leadership at the Maori Party's AGM the weekend after next. Audio

5:08 PM.The Prime Minister is rubbishing claims that the Maori Party's support has been hurt by it's relationship with the National Party. Audio

5:00 PM.Pita Sharples resigns as co-leader of the Maori Party. Home detention confirmed for Lombard directors including Sir Douglas Graham and Brownlee defends the way the government has dealt with CCC… Read more Audio