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Checkpoint is a drive-time news and current affairs programme on Radio New Zealand National. It broadcasts nationwide every weekday evening for two hours and covers the day’s major national and international stories, as well as business, sport and Māori news. This recording covers the first hour. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:
Checkpoint FOR WEDNESDAY 5 AUGUST 2015
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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Two fatal house fires today have killed four people including two parents and one of their children. This morning in the South Canterbury town of Waimate - Tej and Tika Kafle [kaff-lih] and their 8-year-old son, Praem [prem], died in the flat above their Indian restaurant. The couple's three other children escaped the flames through a window. This afternoon in Auckland's Panmure a man was killed when his apartment caught fire. More on that shortly - but first to the fire at Waimate. The mayor, Craig Rowley, says the family moved from Christchurch about 18 months ago. He says the community is hurting, but rallying around the three girls who survived. CUT Two of the children, 8-year-old Praem and a 10-year-old girl went to Waimate Main School. The principal, Adam Rivett, says the school is in shock. CUT
Fire Chief Paul Henderson says his crews got to fire within four minutes of the first emergency call, and by that time flames were pouring out the window of the upstairs flat. i/v
Our reporter Sally Murphy is outside the Kafle's [kaff-lih] Indian restaurant now. i/v
Now to the other horrific fatal fire this afternoon in Auckland. The blaze killed a man who was living in a three storeyed apartment building in Panmure. A neighbour, Rachael Mataua, had only just come outside to see smoke billowing from the building. CUT An Assistant Area Commander in Auckland is Dave Woon i/v
"About as bad as it could have been." That's ANZ bank's take on the latest 9 point 3 percent plunge in dairy prices at auction just two days before Fonterra releases its latest milk payout forecast. The dive has critics calling for the dairy behemoth to drop the auction entirely and for a vote of no-confidence in the board. Waikato University's professor of agribusiness, Jacqueline Rowarth, who's also a Fonterra shareholder, is aiming to whip up enough farmer support to take on the company. She's with us now. i/v
B/A: Fonterra has issued a statement saying the GDT is not causing prices to plummet. It's blaming political turmoil and a global oversupply for the low prices. It says stopping trading with auction would not improve prices. We hope to hear more from them later in the programme.
A man has died after being handcuffed by the police in Te Puke this morning. The police are refusing to be interviewed about what happen because of investigatiions underway . Our reporter, Andrew McRae has been following developments i/v
The mother of a 21-year-old, murdered at the hands of an ex-boyfriend, who had breached a protection order, says her daughter may have been saved if law changes proposed today were in place. The Justice Minister Amy Adams has launched a blueprint for a comprehensive overhaul of domestic violence laws. Mei Heron reports. PKG
A man who car-surfed on top of a taxi on the Auckland harbour bridge has been found guilty of criminal nuisance. Johnny Bennett was drunk when he climbed onto the roof of the cab in March 2013 (21st) while one of his friends filmed the stunt. Mohamed Hassan reports. PKG
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17.30 HEADLINES
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17.35 BUSINESS
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Doctors and nurses say bullying is pervasive and there 's a culture of fear in public hospitals. In a survey by the Resident Doctors Association out today, six hundred doctors spell out the problems. Our Health Correspondent, Karen Brown, has more. PKG
The Earthquake Recovery Minister disagrees with today's prediction that the Christchurch rebuild is close to peaking. The claim is being made by a Westpac economist who says the boom will begin petering out from the end of next year, leading to the loss of 14-thousand construction jobs by 2022. Conan Young reports. PKG
Friends of Connor Morris have described the last moments before he died of a serious head injury in a fatal street fight. The Crown says Michael Thrift Murray used a long handled sickle to hit Mr Morris in the head during the fight in West Auckland last year. Mr Murray has denied a charge of murder and is on trial at the High Court in Auckland. Connor Morris' friend, John Akavai, was also in the fight and says he saw Mr Morris knock two men to the ground. CUT
John Akavai says he was told help was already on the way. Our reporter Edward Gay has been in court . i/v
The Prime Minister remains adamant the Government's multi-million-dollar deal with a Saudi businessman was forced upon it because of the previous Labour-led Government. But Labour says the latest release of official documents prove it was a sweetheart deal to shut down a single opponent to a trade deal in the gulf states. Here's our political reporter, Demelza Leslie. PKG
A woman who sold her daughter for sex to a 70-year old neighbour would then sit in her lounge watching TV while the abuse went on in the next room. This began when the girl was just 9 and happened when the father was out. The 47-woman pleaded guilty in the High Court in Auckland today but was granted bail. Our reporter Tom Furley has been reading the summary of facts . i/v
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The head of the Federation of Māori Authorities says Māori men need to step up and be more supportive of Māori business women.
The authority runs an annual hui for Māori wahine to support the progression of women in top business leadership roles.
Te Manu Korihi's Alexa Cook reports.
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It's a year to the day before the 2016 Olympic Games kick off in Rio de Janiero. Billions of dollars are being spent getting the venues in Brazil built or upgraded. A host of delays in the building work had earlier led to the International Olympic Committee sending in its own task force to help oversee progress. There've also been questions asked about pollution levels for some of the water-sports, with warnings from the World Health Organisation that they could be hazardous. New Zeland's Chef de Mission, Rob Waddell says progress is being made: i/v
US scientists say they have solved the riddle of why a collection of precariously balanced rocks near the San Andreas fault has never been toppled by earthquakes. The decade-long California study shows that quakes can stop or "jump" and because of that - the biggest vibrations are sent around the rock stacks, leaving them intact. The team also calculated how much force it would take to tip each of the rocks over. The BBC's Jonathan Webb has more. PKG
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Presenter: Mary Wilson, Jim Mora
Editor: Maree Corbett
Deputy editor: Phil Pennington
Producers: Mei Heron, Michael Allan, Denise Garland, Duncan Snelling