Checkpoint for Friday 18 September 2015

6:56 PM.The illegal sale of fish online is growing rapidly. The Ministry for Primary Industries says the internet has given people a new way of trading black market seafood and they're using it. Audio

6:51 PM.The principal of one of the three East Cape schools that must close next year says the decision has traumatised both the kura and the community; A special service was held by Ngati Whatua Orakei in a… Read more Audio

6:35 PM.In just two months time New Zealanders will be voting on four alternative flag designs which could possibly replace the country's current flag. Audio

6:24 PM.A new study has found California is the driest its been in more than 500 years. Audio

6:16 PM.Counties Manukau Police are trying to track down a serial sex assaulter who's been preying on women at Puhinui railway station in south Auckland Audio

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

5:53 PM.From tomorrow thousands of children across New Zealand are being invited to learn about light, how it works and what it does, what it means for out future. Audio

5:50 PM.The principal of one of the three East Cape schools that must close next year says the decision has traumatised both the kura and the community. The Education Minister Hekia Parata's announcement… Read more Audio

5:42 PM.The senior doctors' union says health bosses now accept that a doctor had the right to protest against the TPP trade deal without losing his job. Audio

5:39 PM.There is still no sign of two people who went missing while fishing off the South Otago coast on Wednesday, but police have managed to locate the place where they believe their boat capsized. Audio

5:36 PM.A psychiatrist who poisoned his wife has been denied parole at his first hearing since he was convicted in 2001. Audio

5:34 PM.The principal of an Auckland school closed down amid fears for the safety and education of its children, is denying allegations of abuse there. Audio

5:32 PM.The country's biggest retailer, The Warehouse's profit has fallen by a third. Audio

5:25 PM.Calls are growing for crayons containing asbestos to be taken off the shelves. Audio

5:22 PM.The New Zealand and Australian Defence Ministers have reaffirmed their commitment to the joint deployment in Iraq, just days after a new Prime Minister was installed across the Tasman. Audio

5:20 PM.The Associate Immigration Minister Craig Foss is considering a request to allow a Kiribati family stay in New Zealand on humanitarian grounds. Audio

5:15 PM.The Rugby World Cup kicks off in just over 12 hours with the All Blacks favourites to win the title, but his history has shown that favouratism counts for little. Audio

5:11 PM.A woman held at knifepoint pleaded with her teenage attacker to let her go because she'd just become pregnant after months of IVF treatment, but she was still raped and kicked unconscious. Audio

5:08 PM.A 10 year old boy is in a critical condition with a head injury after what the school he attends is describing as an accident this morning. Audio

5:00 PM.A 10-year-old boy is critically injured at school. A teenager is jailed after raping and beating a pregnant woman at knifepoint and the Rugby World Cup is about to kick off. Audio