Checkpoint for Monday 16 March 2015

6:48 PM.Civil Defence is continuing to urge people on the east coast of the North Island to stay off the roads, despite weather conditions improving. Te Kopinga Marae on the Chatham Islands is getting ready… Read more Audio

6:43 PM.A 20 year old African-American man has been arrested for shooting two white policemen in the troubled St Louis suburb of Ferguson. Audio

6:39 PM.Gym contracts will be scruinised when a new law comes in tomorrow to stop the use of unfair terms in consumer contracts. Audio

6:35 PM.The Chatham Islands are in a state of emergency as locals wait for the remnants of Cyclone Pam to sweep-by tomorrow. Audio

6:29 PM.A law change is being looked at to tackle the problem of property boundaries moving in the Canterbury earthquakes. Audio

6:22 PM.A pathologist has been closely questioned by the defence over his apparent change in what he says was the estimated time at which Christine and Amber Lundy died. Audio

6:20 PM.Our reporter Nicole Pryor is in Tologa Bay where the remnants of Cyclone Pam is now moving away. Audio

6:17 PM.In this country, Cyclone Pam has been battering the North Island's east coast today. Audio

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

5:54 PM.Some residents who've evacuated their homes because of ex-tropical cyclone Pam have sought refuge at Marae along the east coast of the North Island. Audio

5:53 PM.Sikh leaders are looking at taking legal action after some Sikh cricket fans were banned from a cricket world cup match in Auckland because they were carrying ceremonial daggers. Audio

5:48 PM.Two X Factor judges have been dumped from the show after their scathing comments about one of the contestants. Audio

5:43 PM.Bryne Permals story changed, and then it changed again. Audio

5:40 PM.More than 400 people a day are being stopped at Australian airports as efforts are ramped up to detect would-be jihadists slipping out of the country. Audio

5:36 PM.The Prime Minister says he has been given assurances that New Zealand's training mission in Iraq will be different to earlier interventions in that country. Audio

5:34 PM.The New Zealand dollar's been quiet after a week of volatility. Audio

5:26 PM.A Dunedin city councillor accused of bulllying staff, collegues and outside professionals is under investigation. Audio

5:24 PM.Three or four people are feared dead after a light plane crash near Wanaka. Audio

5:18 PM.The east coast of the North Island has been bearing the brunt today, with 100 people evacuating in the face of huge waves pounding the beaches. Audio

5:12 PM.New Zealander Mike Crawford runs diving company Big Blue, in Port Vila. He lives on a hill overlooking the town. Audio

5:09 PM.The grim toll from Cyclone Pam is becoming clearer under the state of emergency declared in Vanuatu - but still very little's been heard from devastated outer islands. Audio

5:00 PM.The struggle to bring aid to the worst hit islands in Vanuatu. At least three people feared dead in a small plane crash near Wanaka and X factor fallout as judges are sacked. Audio