Checkpoint for Wednesday 25 June 2014

6:57 PM.A fur seal, a protected species, has died after a dog attacked it on a south Brighton beach near Dunedin. Audio

6:51 PM.An agreement to stop dumping treated wastewater in a Rotorua forest has the backing of a former Tuhourangi Trustee, who says it'll help limit the amount of pollution ending up in a famous penny-diving… Read more Audio

6:46 PM.The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner says three significant government agencies are the main culprits, when it comes to the pay gap between men and women in the public sector. Audio

6:39 PM.The Government denies it's gone on a witchhunt for the leaker of a document which criticises its flagship health initiative, Health Benefits Limited. Audio

6:36 PM.Nelson has been hammered by a two hour downpour, with an entire street having to be evacuated. Audio

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

6:23 PM.A council vote on whether to put 80 million dollars into a controversial Hawkes Bay dam has failed to come up with either a straight yes or no. Audio

6:19 PM.The Labour Party is promising to lift spending on health and education but at the same time run bigger surpluses than the Government unveiled in last month's Budget. Audio

6:15 PM.The senior student stabbed in the neck outside a South Auckland school yesterday, is expected to be discharged from hospital in the next couple of days. Audio

6:12 PM.The police investigating the 20 year old murder of Jane Furlong say they had no other option but to pull all their officers off the case despite their belief that members of the public still hold… Read more Audio

6:12 PM.The Government has been forced to defend its decision to rush legislation through Parliament to harvest some of the tens of thousands of native trees blown over by high winds on the West Coast. Audio

5:56 PM.The Labour Party is promising to lift spending on health and education but at the same time run bigger surpluses than the Government unveiled in last month's Budget. Audio

5:53 PM.Christchurch ratepayers can expect a seven-point five percent rates increase from next week, after the city council voted in favour of the rise this afternoon. Audio

5:49 PM.An agreement to stop dumping treated wastewater in a Rotorua forest has the backing of a former Tuhourangi Trustee, who says it'll help limit the amount of pollution ending up in a famous penny-diving… Read more Audio

5:47 PM.About a third of students at a small Raglan school, or 140 children, have been told they must stay home because they are vulnerable to a measles outbreak. Audio

5:40 PM.The Hawke's Bay Regional Council who voted today on whether to invest $80 million in the controversial Ruataniwha have failed to reach a definitive conclusion. Audio

5:36 PM.Finance workers have been sitting in limbo for six months because of delays in the Government's flagship Health Benefits Limited programme, and a union says some are leaving. Audio

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

5:28 PM.The Whangarei District Council is abandoning its plans for a Hundertwasser Art Centre in the city. Audio

5:26 PM.Residents of an entire street in Nelson, Murphy Street, have had to be evacuated after flash flooding. Audio

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

5:18 PM.The Ministry of Education still has no idea if anyone who was on hand when a young boy was stabbed at a South Auckland school yesterday was First Aid qualified. Audio

5:16 PM.Labour is demanding an apology and the Prime Minister is distancing himself from the Donghua Liu donation allegations, after the Chinese businessman today changed his story. Audio

5:13 PM.A 12-year-old boy accused of taking part in a fatal raid on a West Auckland dairy has had his charge upgraded to manslaughter. Audio

5:07 PM.The police are pulling all their officers off the Jane Furlong cold case investigation - and the mother of the murdered Auckland teenager is devastated. Audio

5:00 PM.Jane Furlong's mother is devastated as the cold case inquiry is wound down. A 12 year old now faces a manslaughter charge over the Henderson dairy stabbing and Labour demands an apology after Donghua… Read more Audio