Five O'clock Report for Monday 18 December 2017

5:10 PM.A new 1-1-1 system for mental health emergencies. Mental health advocates are hailing the proposal which see trained workers, rather than police officers, respond to such calls. Audio

5:13 PM.An ex-Invercargill police officer Benjamin Peter McLean has been jailed for at least 17 years for murdering his estranged wife. Audio

5:17 PM.Following the verdict today John Campbell spoke to Verity Mclean's father, Bob Barber, about the crime, and the punishment Audio

5:20 PM.Unreasonable and oppressive - that's what the Chief Ombudsman said today about how a Wellington school dealt with a child with autism. Audio

5:30 PM.News from the business sector Audio

5:35 PM.A West Coast mayor says it's a relief to hear the coalition government will consider new oil, gas and mining permits, but he says it's alarming that conservation land remains off limits. Audio

5:39 PM.A Whangarei arborist is calling for protection for old native trees on private land. Audio

5:42 PM.59 year old man Chan Han Choi is facing six charges relating to brokering the sale of coal, missiles and weapons technology for North Korea, including the first ever laid under Australia's Weapons of… Read more Audio

5:44 PM.Descendents of the original Maori owner of a disputed hill in New Plymouth, have lit a bonfire on it, warning prospective developers of their continued guardianship of Moungaroa, also known as Blagdon… Read more Audio

5:48 PM.The Crown says four men involved in an Auckland cocaine ring that sold the Class A drug "like hot cakes" Audio

5:54 PM.Max Towle has a look at the best movies of 2017 Audio