Checkpoint for Friday 19 December 2014

6:55 PM.Two charities say they are struggling to meet this year's funding targets and are worried some families will go without a decent meal or a gift this Christmas. Audio

6:52 PM.A new report by Price Waterhouse Coopers shows that improvements to Maori freehold land and forestry could add billions of dollars to the economy; The Atihau-Whanganui Incorporation is sharing its… Read more Audio

6:38 PM.The Government's still clinging to its promise to return the books to surplus this financial year, despite Treasury predictions to the contrary. Audio

6:25 PM.It's estimated about 30 thousand New Zealanders used amphetamines in the last year. Audio

6:20 PM.A family-run fish stall in Auckland, which has been operating for half a century, is at risk of closure because Auckland Council wants it moved on. Audio

6:15 PM.A former U.S ambassador to Pakistan says Islamabad has got to do more to crack down on violent militants. Audio

6:10 PM.Eight children have been found dead in a house in Cairns, in the suburb of Manoora. It's believed the children and were aged between 18 months and 15 years old, they were all brothers and sisters and… Read more Audio

6:05 PM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

5:55 PM.The cost of building the controversial Sky City convention centre in Auckland has jumped up by about 100 million dollars. Audio

5:52 PM.Auckland Council is accused of being overly zealous in trying to move a fish seller from a prime spot in the Mangere Bridge shopping centre carpark because of a complaint. Audio

5:48 PM.A new report by Price Waterhouse Coopers shows that improvements to Maori freehold land and forestry could add billions of dollars to the economy; The Atihau-Whanganui Incorporation is sharing its… Read more Audio

5:45 PM.New South Wales lawyers say they have received death threats after this week's Sydney hostage crisis. Audio

5:42 PM.In Australia, Federal MP Clive Palmer's media advisor and close confident has been arrested over the kidnapping of a bank executive lured to an Indonesian island last year. Audio

5:35 PM.The New Zealand currency ended the week about where it began, with a lot of volatility in between. Audio

5:35 PM.Search and rescue operations in popular holiday spots on the Coromandel have been compromised because equipment worth thousands of dollars has been was stolen. Audio

5:20 PM.The Parole Board has revealed serial sex offender Stewart Murray Wilson is now getting treatment and that's one reason it's decided to release him. Audio

5:18 PM.A Judge says no one will be able to forget the evidence given by a woman who was plucked off an Auckland street, stripped and shackled in a basement, before being sexually abused. Audio

5:15 PM.The cost of building the controversial Sky City convention centre in Auckland has jumped up by about 100-million dollars. Audio

5:12 PM.A judge has discharged without conviction a New Plymouth teenager who with his phone recorded having a drunken sexual encounter with a schoolgirl. Audio

5:10 PM.Eight children have been found dead in Cairns in north Queensland. Audio

5:00 PM.Eight children found dead in Cairns;Teenager in drunken sex must talk to boys' schools;Sky City convention centre bill shoots up by $100m;Steven Joyce on Sky City convention centre bill shooting up by… Read more Audio