Checkpoint for Monday 25 August 2014

6:48 PM.Writer and academic, Simon Head says the age of smarter machines is making people dumber. Audio

6:43 PM.The Labour Party released documents this afternoon which show the Treasury advised the National-led government that homeownership grants in Australia had pushed prices up in areas where there were not… Read more Audio

6:39 PM.King Tuheitia has suffered a heart attack today. Waikato University is preparing for Kingitanga Day, an annual celebration of the relationship between the university and the Kingitanga. The Public… Read more Audio

6:36 PM.The New Zealand dollar fell more than half a cent from late trading Friday, following a large transaction early this morning. Audio

6:28 PM.California's Napa Valley is under a state of emergency, following a magnitude six earthquake that left more than 100 people injured, cut power and water and damaged historic buildings Audio

6:25 PM.The High Court has overturned two bylaws restricting freedom camping in Coromandel. Audio

6:22 PM.National's Bill English and Labour's David Carter have today laid out their plans for the economy and how best to help people into their own homes and save for retirement. Audio

6:17 PM.The collision between the cap on government help to first-home buyers, and the high cost of land in Auckland, look likely to hamper the National Party's new housing policy. Audio

6:11 PM.The police officer who got shot in the foot wrestling a gunman in a Hamilton supermarket carpark is being hailed as a hero. Audio

6:06 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:56 PM.The Justice Minister has ruled a former Catholic brother should be extradited back to Australia to face 252 child sex charges, but his lawyers have immediately challenged that. Audio

5:51 PM.The Ministry of Maori Development, Te Puni Kokiri, is cutting many roles - while creating new advisory ones in a big shake-up at the agency. But the Public Service Association says the restructure has… Read more Audio

5:46 PM.A GP failed to tell a patient with a history of breast cancer that her sore shoulder was most likely cancer that had spread to her bones despite a radiologists report that said exactly that. Audio

5:43 PM.Master Builders are warning against building cheap and poor quality homes, just so first-time buyers can get extra Government help to build them. Audio

5:36 PM.The New Zealand dollar fell more than half a cent from late trading Friday, following a large transaction early this morning. Audio

5:25 PM.A Dunedin man has died after falling down the side of Mount Aspiring, while his mate has been rescued in a daring night time mission. Audio

5:21 PM.Kim Dotcom's lawyer has accused the FBI and police of going on a legal fishing expedition when they raided the internet tycoon's mansion. Audio

5:17 PM.The Labour Party is reining in its spending plans while the National Party is promising to make some sort of tax cut announcement before the election. Audio

5:13 PM.The public health watchdog says major failures by the Whanganui District Health Board delayed a patient's cancer diagnosis until it was too late. Audio

5:08 PM.The police officer who got shot in the foot wrestling a gunman in a Hamilton supermarket carpark is being hailed as a hero. Audio

5:00 PM.A police officer shot while wrestling a gunman is hailed a hero. National talks tax cuts - Labour reins in spending and a man dies on Mt Aspiring while fellow climber rescued. Audio