Checkpoint for Tuesday 8 July 2014

6:57 PM.The Government is being asked to surrender its stake in New Plymouth airport -- for a dollar. Audio

6:51 PM.The Labour Party's Maori Affairs spokesperson, Nanaia Mahuta, plans to reassess the social welfare policy, Whanau Ora, if it wins the upcoming general election in September; Decorative Maori flax… Read more Audio

6:45 PM.41 the returned asylum seekers have been before the court in Sri Lanka today. Leaving the country illegally is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, punishable by up to two years in jail. Audio

6:39 PM.Australia has promised not to return a boatload of asylum seekers to Sri Lanka without providing 72 hours notice, in a move hailed by human rights lawyers as a minor victory. Audio

6:28 PM.South Island listed companies have grown by more than 35 percent in market capitalisation in the last year, gaining nearly three billion dollars in value. Audio

6:27 PM.The New Zealand dollar was stronger against the currencies of all the nation's major trading partners today. Audio

6:25 PM.The Reserve Bank is being urged to hold off any further interest rate hikes following a fall in business confidence from 20 year highs. Audio

6:20 PM.Japan is bracing itself for violent winds and huge waves as typhoon Neoguri barrels toward the country, in what could be one of the worst storms in years. Audio

6:17 PM.A police officer who saved an elderly woman who was just minutes from dying in a house fire says the thought that she was someones Grandma kept him going. Audio

6:15 PM.Kaitaia community board member Ivan Alvrez. Audio

6:11 PM.Police in Northland are warning locals to stay off the roads later tonight as the wild weather battering the region is predicted to get worse. Audio

6:07 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:56 PM.In Australia, zoo handler, Trent Burton is recovering after a terrifying encounter with a 3 point 7 metre long salwater croc. Audio

5:51 PM.The Police says it is wrong to claim they are not fully investigating or prosecuting in family violence cases. Audio

5:48 PM.Maori weaved panels, which are traditionally an adornment in ancestral tribal meeting houses, will soon line the walls of the United Nations headquarters in New York. The artwork reflects New Zealand… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.Peter Leaitua's lawyer Christopher Wilkinson-Smith is with us. Audio

5:44 PM.Our reporter Edward Gay has been covering the trial and waiting on the jury and he joins us. Audio

5:41 PM.Bigger, stronger players and the professionalisation of rugby are being blamed for an increase in on-the-field teenage head, neck and spine injuries. Audio

5:38 PM.And the Metservice says there'll be no let up tonight or tomorrow from the wet and windy weather that's now lashing Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel. Audio

5:34 PM.Galeforce winds have cut power to several thousand households in Northland and power lines companies are struggling to cope. Audio

5:32 PM.The New Zealand dollar was stronger against the currencies of all the nation's major trading partners today. Audio

5:26 PM.Unusual bright blue stripes have started to appear on Nelson's streets baffling locals. Audio

5:20 PM.A police officer who risked his life to pull an elderly woman out of burning house says the black choking smoke was torture and he thought he'd have to give up. Audio

5:14 PM.In 2009 out of 79 thousand family violence investigations, 42 thousand or more than half resulted in an offence being prosecuted. But since Police Safety Orders were introduced the following year… Read more Audio

5:11 PM.Hadley Bratton has been out on the roads in the Far North. She's at Te Kao Lodge. Audio

5:09 PM.Kaitaia's Chief Fire Officer Colin Kitchen has been driving around on emergency callouts this afternoon. Audio

5:08 PM.Galeforce winds with gusts of up to 130 kilometres an hour have cut power to thousands of homes, torn off roofs and brought down trees in the Far North. Audio

5:00 PM.Thousands without power as gale force winds lash Northland. Why a man risked his life to pull an elderly woman out of a burning house and they're bright - they're blue - and they're baffling people in… Read more Audio