Checkpoint for Tuesday 11 March 2014

6:54 PM.The Labour Party leader has told his MPs not to attack potential coalition partners, after Shane Jones criticised a Green MP. Audio

6:51 PM.The Environmental Protection Authority has heard that controversial ironsand mining could create plumes of sediment that drift into the 12 nautical mile zone of New Zealand waters. Audio

6:47 PM.The Mana Party says it has time on its side and is better prepared to win more seats in the next elections; The Prime Minister, John Key, says the government is not bound by any principles in the… Read more Audio

6:35 PM.A Helensville couple in the midst of a relationship breakdown have been sentenced today in Waitakere District Court - after letting their farm animals to starve to death. Audio

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

6:26 PM.Wynyard Group is partnering with the British-based, Radio Tactics, which develops intelligence and evidence-gathering equipment used by law enforcement and military organisations around the world. Audio

6:23 PM.The engineer whose company designed the CTV building in Christchurch has resigned from the Institution of Professional Engineers, potentially scuttling an investigation into him. Audio

6:19 PM.And in China - frustrated authorities are calling on Malaysia to urgently step up it's search efforts - with no clear line of inquiry three days after the passenger plane vanished. Audio

6:15 PM.While the general election is more than six months away - political parties are already winding up into campaign mode and jostling for position. Audio

6:10 PM.The Prostitutes' Collective says it knows who some of Mellory Manning's other attackers are but they haven't been seen on Christchurch's streets since her murder in 2008. Audio

6:08 PM.The police are promising to bring the other killers of Christchurch sex worker, Mellory Manning, to justice as the first of them is locked away. Audio

5:57 PM.Police say the search for a missing boatie is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Audio

5:53 PM.The Prime Minister has continued to defend the Justice Minister, Judith Collins, against allegations she breached Cabinet rules by visiting food exporter Oravida in Shanghai while on an official visit… Read more Audio

5:51 PM.The principal of a decile-one primary in Otara has told a court she didn't spend school money on herself but used it to buy reference books. Audio

5:48 PM.The Prime Minister, John Key, says the government isn't bound by any principles in the Treaty of Waitangi to include Maori symbols on any new flag; The Mana Party says it has time on its side and is… Read more Audio

5:41 PM.The police are vowing to bring to justice the other killers of Mellory Manning after today's guilty verdict for Mongrel Mob prospect Mauha Fawcett. Audio

5:38 PM.Auckland's rescue helicopter trust has stepped up its fight with an Auckland Council funding board, accusing it being influenced by gifts. Audio

5:35 PM.Lending restrictions have continued to cool the housing market, with sales falling for the third successive month. Audio

5:32 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:27 PM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

5:20 PM.Voters will have their say on whether to ditch the country's flag for another design, but not just yet. Audio

5:14 PM.He says America's National Security Agency has a Foreign Affairs Division which searches for loopholes in other countries' laws to justify indiscriminate, dragnet surveillance - and such operations… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.Detective Inspector Greg Williams says the investigation in Mellory Manning's murder is not over yet. Audio

5:07 PM.The brother of murdered prostitute Mellory Manning has compared the violence inflicted on his sister to something from a horror movie. Audio

5:00 PM.A Mongrel Mob prospect is found guilty of murdering Mallory Manning. Edward Snowden says America pressured New Zealand to legalise mass spying on its citizens and Flagging a new flag - but not just… Read more Audio