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 TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2014
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1700 to 1707 NEWS
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So, New Zealand Cricket history made at Wellington's Basin Reserve today. The New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum has become the first New Zealander to score a test triple century, during the second cricket test against India in Wellington this morning. McCullum who batted for nearly thirteen hours - brought up the 300 with a four - just before midday.
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So the score there a short time ago - India now 144 for three - needing 291 more for victory. Our reporter Stephen Hewson is at the Basin Reserve for and joins us now, a draw looks likely, but that's the story of the day:
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Brendan McCullum's father Stuart was watching nervously in the crowd just before 12 o'clock - when he hit a four off Zaheer Khan - bringing up 302 runs. Stuart McCullum is with us now:
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Television New Zealand says it was a mistake to take back a senior journalist who's resignation has forced the state-owned broadcaster to check its news programmes for political bias. Shane Taurima resigned as the head of TVNZ's Maori and Pacific Unit after documents were leaked showing he hosted a Labour Party panel last month on how it could win the Maori vote in this year's election. Also, they show three other staff used company email and a workroom to carry out Labour Party business. Mr Taurima returned to TVNZ after an unsuccessful run last year to become Labour's candidate for the Ikaroa-Rawhiti by-election. The station's head of news and current affairs, John Gillespie says at that time Mr Taurima told him his political ambitions were at an end. But Mr Gillespie says he talked to Mr Taurima again last week about whether he would be standing again for Labour in Tāmaki Makaurau - but was not made aware that his journalist had hosted the Labour Party panel. The chief executive of TVNZ Kevin Kenrick now says Shane Taurima has NOT been upfront with them.
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Parliament has ordered the release of Labour MP Shane Jones' letter accusing the Countdown supermarket chain of standover tactics. Mr Jones wrote to the Commerce Commission requesting an investigation last week, after making allegations under parliamentary privilege of Countdown demanding retrospective cash payments from suppliers to make up for lost profits. He also tabled his letter to the Commerce Commission, but in a rare move, the Clerk of the House refused to distribute it because of the risk of legal action against her. Here's our political reporter, Demelza Leslie.
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The United Nations says North Korea has carried out unspeakable atrocities and compared the human rights abuses with Nazi germany. A UN Commission of Inquiry, led by the former Australian High Court Justice, Michael Kirby, heard evidence of numerous crimes including murder, torture, abduction and enslavement. North Korea refused to co-operate with the inquiry and says it categorically and totally rejects the findings. The BBC's Diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall reports :
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1720 TRAILS AND BUSINESS with Kate Gudsell
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The police have accidentally ticketed over twenty thousand people for traffic offences they haven't committed. They say the isolated computer problem meant information from the Transport Agency between October (22) and December (16) last year, was not updated. The error meant people who sold their cars during the two month period were ticketed for offences carried out by the new owners. The National Road policing manager, is Superintendent Carey Griffiths.
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17. 30 HEADLINES
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In Australia, the federal police have swooped on two of Channel Seven's Sydney offices. The AFP have refused to specify the exact nature of the raid - other than to say the swoop relates to a 'proceeds to crime' matter. Channel Seven declined our request for an interview - but the company says it believes the raids are connected to its interview negotiations with convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby. ABC's Tahmina Ansari (Tar-meena Anne-sari) joins us now from Sydney:
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A medical specialist says the death of a woman six hours after giving birth probably wouldn't have been avoided had she been admitted to hospital earlier. Casey Nathan, aged 20 died in Waikato Hospital from medical complications in May 2012. He son, Kymani died two days later. Their inquest being held in Hamilton today heard from two Waikato Hospital doctors and a midwife who paid Ms Nathan a antenatal visit a month earlier. An Obstetric Anaesthetist, Dr Aidan O'Donnell, who saw the mother and her baby on arrival at hospital says crucial time was lost while midwives were dealing with the situation at a Huntly birthing centre. (impt to say this cos birth not at hosp)
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Our Reporter, Andrew McRae has been at the inquest and joins me now.
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A High Court judge says the sex attacker he jailed today is dangerous, and he would've ordered an indefinite jail term if he could. Sumit Narayan (nah-ryan) was caught more than a decade after attacking a prostitute through advances in DNA testing. But the woman isn't the only one he's targetted. The seven year prison term will be added to the 15-years he's already serving for later crimes against other sex workers. Kim Baker Wilson was at the High Court in Auckland.
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17. 45 MANU KORIHI with Eru Rerekura
Kia ora mai, good evening,
The veteran broadcaster, Derek Fox, fears revelations a TVNZ Maori executive facilitated Labour Party business has tarnished the reputation of Maori broadcasters.
The general manager of Maori and Pacific programming, Shane Taurima, has resigned after it surfaced that a TVNZ room was used for a Labour Party hui.
Mr Taurima, who unsuccessfully contested the Ikaroa-Rawhiti candidacy for the party, denies his political affiliations have ever influenced editorial decisions.
A pioneer in Maori broadcasting, Derek Fox, believes Mr Taurima, but is wary of the consequences.
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Derek Fox says it's grossly unfair that some staff will feel they're under suspicion.
TVNZ is investigating staff use of resources to support political parties, and is reviewing the editorial independence of the Maori and Pacific unit under Mr Taurima's reign.
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An education group says Te Reo will not survive if it's only spoken by Maori.
The Auckland-based trust, COMET, believes the language will only thrive if it's used throughout the nation.
It says while the government's new draft Te Reo Maori strategy allows anyone to learn the language, there's no promotion of the language for Pakeha and non-Maori.
The chief executive of COMET, Susan Warren, says the state needs to provide funding for the wider community to learn Te Reo.
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Susan Warren says there would be knock-on effects of having a multi-lingual population, particularly in the trade, export and tourism sectors.
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It's understood there's been a resignation from Kohanga Reo National Trustboard's commercial arm, which is under investigation for allegedly misspending taxpayer money.
We're told Druis Barrett has stepped down from Te Pataka Ohanga.
Te Manu Korihi has learned the resignation is unrelated to a review into allegations of credit card misspending within the commercial arm, and is instead due to personal reasons.
But it's understood Druis Barrett will continue to be a member on the national trust board.
An independent review of Te Pataka Ohanga was ordered by the government after a Maori Television programme, Native Affairs carried a story about the commercial arm.
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Questions have been raised over the appointment of a new trustee to the Crown Forestry Rental Trust.
The trust is a body which helps to fund Treaty of Waitangi hearings into state-owned forestry land.
An agreement is in place between the Maori Council and the Federation of Maori Authorities to appoint trustees.
However, concerns have been raised over the recent process for appointing Neville Baker, who is the chair of the Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust.
A procedural hearing has been held at the High Court in Wellington and further hearings on the matter will be held in early March.
That's Te Manu Korihi news, I'll have a further bulletin in an hour.
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MPs are united in their condemnation of a TVNZ manager and broadcaster, Shane Taurima, after it emerged he'd taken part in a Labour Party hui in January. Some National ministers and MPs have gone further, and claim they've been subjected to aggressive and biased interviews from Mr Taurima. Mr Taurima was the general manager of the network's Maori and Pacific Unit, and also conducted on-air interviews for TVNZs Q and A programme, and Te Karere. Here's our parliamentary chief reporter, Jane Patterson.
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One asylum seeker is dead, another in a critical condition after a second night of violence at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea. Seventy-seven asylum seekers were injured, 13 of them seriously - one has a skull fracture and another has been shot. There are conflicting accounts of how the violence started. Australia's Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison says it was asylum seekers breaking out of the detention centre but a refugee advocate, says the detainees were attacked by locals and the PNG police. Ian Rintoul is from the Refugee Action Coalition.
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A number of illegal miners who've been in an old South African gold mine shaft since Saturday are still refusing to come to the surface. They were originally trapped over the weekend, apparently by a rival gang throwing rocks down a ventilation shaft. Since then, dozens of workers have been rescued, and arrested. Fearing the same fate, others have chosen to stay put. Reporting from the mine at Benoni near Johannesburg, Nomsa Maseko:
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Presenter: Mary Wilson
Editor: Maree Corbett
Deputy editor: Phil Pennington
Producers: Meg Fowler, Mei Yeoh