Checkpoint for Wednesday 12 February 2014

6:57 PM.Boaties in Auckland are vowing to fight a proposed new bylaw which would make wearing lifejackets compulsory on small boats. Audio

6:54 PM.Car warrant of fitnesses are being relaxed but the police will be keeping a closer eye on their roadworthiness. Audio

6:50 PM.The Labour Party says it will return to 10-year passports if it is elected to Government at the election. Audio

6:47 PM.A trans-Tasman row has erupted over Maori totem poles; Two Waikato iwi are pushing to have their Deeds of Settlement passed into law by the elections; Maori-Indians struggling to be accepted by their… Read more Audio

6:44 PM.Auckland councillors fear controversy over the one million dollar artwork modelled on a state house, destined for the waterfront, may scare off future benefactors. Audio

6:36 PM.A broker is still recommending investors to buy Methven shares, even though the company has slashed its earnings guidance. Audio

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

6:28 PM.Nine Orca whales have died in a rare pod stranding on a beach at Tuatapere on the Southland coast. Audio

6:24 PM.In 1935, singer, dancer and actress, Shirley Temple, who has died at the age of 85, was America's latest and youngest top box-office draw - she was just seven years old. Audio

6:21 PM.Otago regional councillors have pulled back from publicly supporting offshore oil and gas exploration after being warned that taking a stand would be illegal. Audio

6:17 PM.Opposition parties have used a new report on child poverty to challenge the Government over what it's doing about the problem. Audio

6:13 PM.A food safety campaigner Sue Kedgley called four years ago as a Green Party MP for an investigation into supermarkets and for a code of practice they'd be forced to follow. Audio

6:09 PM.The Labour Party MP, Shane Jones, is claiming that an Australian owned supermarket chain is blackmailing New Zealand businesses because of lower than expected profit margins. Audio

5:54 PM.A volunteer firefighter in Australia has left a note at a family home apologising for not being able to save everything. Audio

5:51 PM.Anti-sexual violence campaigners are demanding that a rap group known for its sexually violent lyrics is pulled from an Auckland concert line-up. Audio

5:48 PM.A trans-Tasman row has erupted over Maori totem poles; Maori-Indians struggling to be accepted by their own community will attend the second Maori-Indian hui in Rotorua to discuss the challenges of… Read more Audio

5:43 PM.A New Zealand hang glider pilot whose passenger fell to her death during a flight in Canada has been sent to jail for five months in Toronto. Audio

5:37 PM.In England, the wettest January in 250 years has left Britain's prime minister battling to defend his government against criticism that not enough was done to prevent flooding across swathes of the… Read more Audio

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

5:28 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:23 PM.The country's second tallest building after the Sky Tower is to be built in central Auckland. Audio

5:20 PM.The mother of a dead toddler has given details about her turbulent relationship with the man accused of fatally injuring her child. Audio

5:16 PM.Listening to that is the business analyst, Rod Oram. Audio

5:14 PM.A Labour Party spokesperson told us that Shane Jones has the backing for his claims from the chief executive of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council Katherine Rich. Audio

5:14 PM.The Government says Genesis Energy's plummeting profit won't disturb its plan to partially sell the state-owned power company. Audio

5:11 PM.Sue Chetwin of Consumer New Zealand is with us. Audio

5:10 PM.Progressive Enterprises says it 100 percent rejects Mr Jones' allegations and is "pretty stunned". Audio

5:07 PM.The Labour Party MP, Shane Jones, has made claims in Parliament that an Australian owned supermarket chain is blackmailing New Zealand businesses because of lower than expected profit margins. Audio

5:00 PM.A claim in Parliament that an Australian owned supermarket chain is blackmailing NZ businesses. Genesis Energy's profit plummets ahead of its partial sale and it's supersized and its coming to the… Read more Audio