Checkpoint for Wednesday 11 February 2015

6:50 PM.Prime Minister fields questions from Opposition members, including a curly one from Winston Peters. Debate on Prime Minister's Statement resumes. Law and Order Committee hears submissions on Policing… Read more Audio

6:46 PM.A Ngati Kahungunu man at the forefront of the renaissance of Maori Performing Arts has died; Groups have queued up to highlight what they see as gaps in a proposed law to change the governance of Te… Read more Audio

6:42 PM.An app to make life easier for botanists is out today. Audio

6:37 PM.A New Zealand authority on nutrition says fat is a risk factor for heart disease and people should be eating less of it. Audio

6:33 PM.SkyCity says it's open to stumping up more money to build its International Convention Centre in Auckland. Audio

6:25 PM.Australia is to compete in the contest for the first time to mark it's 60th anniversary. Audio

6:20 PM.Mining industry group Straterra says it is aghast that Chatham Rock Phosphate has been refused consent to mine on the Chatham Rise seabed. Audio

6:12 PM.The Iraqi Foreign Minister will be in New Zealand on Friday for talks to help decide whether this country sends military trainers to the Middle East to help in the fight against Islamic State. Audio

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

5:56 PM.Various Groups have queued up to highlight what they see as gaps in a proposed law to change the governance of Te Reo Maori. Te Manu Korihi reporter Gareth Thomas listened to them putting their views… Read more Audio

5:54 PM.A series of one-liners and zingers were flying in the first question time of the year in Parliament this afternoon. Audio

5:49 PM.While two Australian drug smugglers await the firing squad in Bali, the man believed to be the operations' mastermind is enjoying a lavish lifestyle in Sydney, thanks to a lottery win. Audio

5:45 PM.The White House is vowing to bring to justice the Islamic State militants it says are responsible for the "captivity and death" of an American woman in Syria. Audio

5:42 PM.A company's been blocked in its bid to mine the seabed for phosphate off the Canterbury Coast, sparking a warning the country could miss out on hundreds of millions of dollars. Audio

5:40 PM.The young woman who kidnapped a baby from a South Auckland hospital has been jailed for 18 months. Audio

5:37 PM.Today the jury in the Mark Lundy retrial at the high Court in Wellington heard from witnesses who gave evidence in the first case but who have since died. Audio

5:34 PM.The New Zealand dollar gained two-thirds of an Australian cent today but didn't change much against other major currencies. Audio

5:27 PM.The Finance Minister has warned the Government will have to cut other spending if it gives money to SkyCity to build an international convention centre in Auckland Audio

5:24 PM.Just one day out from the opening ceremony for the Cricket World Cup, the police have revealed an embarrassing security breach in Christchurch. Audio

5:17 PM.A machete, hunting knife and a home-made Islamic State flag have been seized from two men in Australia who police say were planning a terror attack that was "beyond disturbing". Audio

5:11 PM.There is a perception at the highest levels in the United States that New Zealand is already on the ground training the Iraqi army. Audio

5:08 PM.The Iraqi Foreign Minister will be in New Zealand on Friday for talks to help decide whether to send military trainers to help in the fight against Islamic State. Audio

5:00 PM.Iraq's Foreign Minister will be in Wellington on Friday for talks with the Prime Minister. An embarassing security breach just ahead of the Cricket World Cup and two men accused of planning another… Read more Audio